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n8thegr8 · 4 years

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My Avengers Academy Chapter 1: An Old Fashioned Notion

Not everyone is created equal. There are people in this world that are born with privileges and advantages that put them ahead of everyone else. There are people that are born with nothing and must climb their way out of oppression. These lessons of privilege should be taught to children with care and respect. To help them understand. These lessons should not, however, be taught to children with violence.

Peter Parker learned this lesson at the age of five. He laid there motionless; eyes widened as he looked towards the sky. He had bruises on his arms and legs, dirt stained his cheeks, and his head was pounding with pain. All he could do now was crawl into a ball and cry his eyes out.

It was supposed to be a fun day for him; his kindergarten cancelled all classes due to a nearby villain attack which cut out all the power on that grid. A day off of school is supposed to be a fun time for children. It was supposed to be fun for Peter. It was, at least in the beginning.

He had a playdate with his best friend in the world, Eugene “Flash” Thompson. He was so excited when his aunt dropped him off at his house; he couldn’t wait to play hero. Their playdates consisted mostly of watching old footage of battles between heroes and villains, and any live fights happening on the news. Today, however, was different.

“Hey, Pete, wanna ditch this, and go to the playground? I’m getting kinda bored,” Flash said.

“Um, yeah! Let’s go tell your mom and-“

“Nah,” Flash said, “Let’s just go, we’ll be back before she knows anything.” This was unusual for Peter. Going to the park without any adult supervision? His Aunt May and Uncle Ben always told him to never go anywhere without an adult that he trusts. But, he trusts Flash. He wouldn’t let Peter get hurt right? Besides, Flash has this really cool quirk, if any bad people try to kidnap him, he’ll protect him.

Peter agreed, and off they went. Getting out of the house was easy since Flash’s mom was sleeping on the couch in the living room with some sort of bottle in her hand. This usually happened when Peter had a playdate at Flash’s home; his mom was asleep most of the time, letting them have free reign of the house. Whenever Peter asked why his mom sleeps so much, Flash would say, “She just works a lot, okay? Stop asking.”

The journey to the park, however, was difficult because they had to stay out of sight, so no adult would see them and call their parents, or aunt and uncle in Peter’s case. They ran from bush to bush, and jumped fences to get to their destination. Eventually, they came to the wall that separated the park from the playground. It loomed over the two kids, and it cast a great shadow over them. To Peter, it was the highest wall he’d ever seen.

Peter heard Flash chuckle. “This wall ain’t nothing to me.” Flash’s arms became covered in this black goop. The goop seemingly crawled up his arms and eventually to his hands, turning his small hands into big claws. Flash looked at Peter. “Lemme show you how a man climbs a wall.”

Flash stepped back five steps and then dashed towards the wall, jumped, and stuck to the wall, digging his claws into the concrete. Peter watched in awe as Flash effortlessly climbed up. Once Flash got to the top of the wall, he peered down and looked at Peter, flashing him a toothy grin.

“Well, come on!” he exclaimed.

Peter stared at the wall. Noticing it’s craggily state, how long has this wall been standing? Before he was born? Before Auntie and Uncle were born? Before quirks?

“What are ya waiting for?!” yelled Flash, “Just climb the stupid thing!”

Jolted out of his thoughtful daze, Peter looked for his path to climb up the wall.

“Come on, Peter!”

The more Flash shouted the more nervous he got. Finally, he found his path. Peter took five steps back and then sprinted towards the wall until-

“I AM IRON MAN AND IT IS TIME FOR YOU TO WAKE UP! I AM IRON MAN AND IT IS TIME FOR YOU TO WAKE UP!”

This phrase loudly repeated throughout Peter Parker’s bedroom, bouncing off the walls, and making his ear drums perform a drum solo. He let out a loud scream of confusion as he was rudely awakened by the pre-recorded message. He jolted from laying down comfortably to sitting up uncomfortably. Holding his head in discomfort, Peter groaned. “I hate that dream…” The alarm clock blared on his bedside table. Peter sighed as he clicked it off. It was a special alarm clock, a special edition Iron Man alarm clock, with a small figurine of the hero acting as the “turn off” button. Peter sighed once again and he flopped back on his bed. He took a moment to look around his room. He didn’t know why. It’s been the same for as long as he remembered. Plastered along the walls were memorabilia of his favorite heroes: Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, the Hulk, etc. Figurines of said heroes stood atop his shelves. His walls were a deep shade of blue. His bedsheets were red, but his blanket was Avengers-themed. He was fifteen-years-old, but his room was one of a twelve-year-old. Peter didn’t mind; he really liked heroes. He absentmindedly reached over to his bedside table, and grabbed his phone. The bright screen blinded him for a small moment. His eyes readjusted themselves, and he looked at his messages.

Wanda Maximoff :P (6:30 AM): Get out of bed sleepyhead. May made pancakes.

Pietro Maximoff (6:35 AM): Is my sister at your house? She’s not answering my texts.

Pietro Maximoff (6:36 AM): Never mind lol I took a quick run around town and saw her in your kitchen lol

She’s downstairs? Peter thought. It wasn’t unusual for Wanda to be over before school started, but sometimes Peter questioned if she ever ate breakfast at home. “Your Aunt’s cooking is just too good!” she’d say. He had his doubts, of course. She always said that Pietro was cranky in the morning, so maybe that’s why she spends her mornings here.

“Peter! Breakfast is almost ready!”

Peter groaned as he heard his Aunt’s voice calling for him. “I’ll be down in a second!” he shouted back.

“A second has passed!” he heard a shout from downstairs followed by a hearty laugh.

Oh, Ben, he thought. His Uncle really was a joker.

~A~

“How long have you been mastering the art of dad jokes, Mr. Parker?” Wanda asked inquisitively, “Because you need a lot more work.”

Mr. Parker lowered his newspaper, took off his reading glasses, and gave a thoughtful look. Mr. Parker was wearing what he always wore: an ugly red sweater with aged blue jeans. “It’s my look!” he’d always say whenever he was questioned about his choice of apparel. “Well let’s see… when Peter was born! His father hated whenever our dad joked with us, and I just knew that he wouldn’t do it for Peter. So I wasn’t going to let Peter live his life without the best form of humor.”

Wanda rolled her eyes. Highly subjective opinion he’s got there, she thought. She turned her gaze to Mrs. Parker who was just finishing cooking the last pancake. “Mrs. Parker, how do you live with this?”

“A strong will and wine, my dear,” she said, grabbing the plate of pancakes and bringing it to the table where Mr. Parker and Wanda sat, “A strong will and wine.” Mrs. Parker was also wearing what she normally wore. Underneath her cooking apron, was her usual yellow shirt and blue jeans. Unlike her husband, she knew fashion, which Wanda appreciated.

“Oh please,” Mr. Parker said, “You love it; you know you do.”

Mrs. Parker chuckled as she put down the plate on the table. “No dear, I love you, not your jokes.”

Wanda let out a small laugh. “See, she’s the funny one here.”

“No one here appreciates my stellar comedy,” lamented Mr. Parker.

“I do,” a fourth voice said. Wanda turned her head towards the stairs that led to the upper floor, only to see her best friend: Peter Parker. Peter looked like he crawled himself out of a grave. His eyes were droopy, heavy bags surrounding them. His skin was paler than normal and his hair was also more ruffled than normal as well.

“Ah, my hero,” joked Mr. Parker, “Jeez, son, you look like a zombie.”

“I always appreciate your jokes, Ben.” Even his voice was coarse.

Wanda eyed her best friend and gave a cocky grin. “Did you even shower? I can smell you from here.”

Wanda saw Peter roll his eyes at her. “Well, good morning to you too,” he said.

~A~

The ensuing breakfast was also per the usual for the Parker family. A lot of banter between Uncle Ben and Aunt May, but even more between Wanda and Peter. “Don’t pass out from being a geek when you meet Dr. Banner today.”

“And don’t try to pass out from boredom when he starts talking about the dangers of gamma radiation,” he retorted. However, Peter couldn’t deny his excitement. For the first field trip of the school year, his high school, Midtown High, was going to Avengers Tower to meet the heroes and watch a lecture from the Incredible Hulk himself, Bruce Banner, the fourth most popular hero in America. Eventually, the pair finished their breakfast.

“Thank you so much, Mrs. Parker! The food was great as always,” Wanda said. She always said this after having a delicious course of Aunt May’s cooking, which at this point was every other day or so.

“Oh you’re always welcome here, dear,” said Aunt May, “Now go, you two are going to miss the train.”

The two said their goodbyes to the married couple and off they went out the front door and onto the sidewalk, where an impatient Pietro waited.

“Took you two long enough,” he said while tapping his foot incessantly. “Mom and dad missed you at breakfast, dear sister,” he said in a mocking tone.

“Well get back to me when dad can actually cook something worth a damn, dear brother,” she fired back.

Pietro shook his head in disappointment, his silver hair flowing side to side as he did. “Hey Pete, ready for the field trip?” he asked excitedly, a complete change in his composure.

“Dude, you know it!” Peter exclaimed, high fiving Pietro.

Wanda groaned. “I’m surrounded by geeks.”

The walk to the train station was yet again, per the usual for the life of Peter Parker. Talking to Pietro about the villain fight that was on the news the night before while Wanda playfully mocks them.

“So the paper is due Friday right?” Wanda asked.

“Yep,” responded Peter.

“But does that mean 12:00 that morning or at 11:59 that night?” replied Pietro.

“No, it’s du-“

sudden explosion was heard. The trio stopped in their tracks and looked to where they heard the explosion. They see smoke in the direction they were looking.

“That’s the station…” Peter said.

“That explosion…” Pietro said.

Peter turned to Pietro. “Which means…”

Wanda eyes widened in horror. “Oh God, please no.”

Peter and Pietro's eyes lit up. “Villain attack!” they both exclaimed. Then the two ran off in the direction of the station.

“Hey, wait up you two!” Wanda exclaimed, running after the pair.

When Peter, Pietro, and Wanda got to the station it was a sight to behold. On top of the tracks was a villain they’d never seen before. He was gigantic in size and was entirely made out of sand. He stood on the overpass and roared out, daring any hero to attack.

“A new villain?” Peter asked with extreme curiosity.

“Yeah looks like it,” Pietro responded with eagerness, “He looks so cool!”

The villain reeled back his fist and punched a chunk out of a building. The crowd that was surrounding the scene screamed as debris threatened to crush them. That is until a blue and red blur flew in and destroyed all of the debris that dare harm the populace. It was the Avenger Captain Marvel, one of the strongest members of the team.

“Oh Cap’s here? This’ll be done in no time,” mused Pietro.

Peter swooned. “She’s so cool.”

Wanda huffed and crossed her arms, a small blush cascaded her cheeks. “She’s okay.”

The villain’s voice echoed and roared. “Get outta here pipsqueak, before I slaughter ya!”

Captain Marvel floated above the crowd, glowing with a golden light, her hair defying gravity as it floated upwards. Her very presence exerted the power she possessed. She looked back to the crowd. “Multiple Man, form a barrier!” she ordered.

“Alright people, don’t move past the clones y’hear?” multiple voices echoed.

The trio looked and saw the rescue hero Multiple Man! A new up and coming hero who could create a seemingly infinite amount of clones of himself. A sea of clones barred entrance to the battle. “They’re exact copies of him,” Peter whispered. “I gotta...” He reached into his book bag and took out a notebook and a cheap digital camera.

“And there he goes,” Wanda sighed.

He took his camera, aimed at one of the clones, and snapped a quick picture. Then, he opened his notebook. It had the number twelve written in sharpie pen on the cover. Peter opened it and flicked through the pages and pages of hero analysis until he found Multiple Man’s entry and feverishly wrote in his new finding.

“Oh, it warms my heart to see such an enthusiastic youth!” A laugh rang in Peter’s ears. He looked to his right and saw an older looking gentleman. Balding, but still has his white hair, a bushy mustache, and a cool pair of black sunglasses.

A blush danced onto Peter’s face. “Ah, well it’s just a hobby of mine.”

The elderly gentleman chuckled. “Oh don’t try to fool me, young man! I know exactly what you are! A fanboy!”

Peter’s face was bright red from embarrassment. “I, well I-“

“Hey there’s nothing wrong with being a fanboy!” Pietro exclaimed, standing up for his friend.

The gentleman continue to chuckle. “Not at all, young man! Why when I was your ag-“

The villain roared once again. “Don’t you come near me!”

Captain Marvel flexed out her arm and pointed at the villain. “Flint Marko, you are under arrest for illegal quirk usage and destruction of property! Anything you say can and will be us- gah!” The heroine was suddenly cut off by a gigantic fist made out of sand punching her into a nearby building.

“I ain’t going to jail!” the sand villain yelled as he reeled back his other giant fist, “And I’ll be sendin’ ya straight to hell!” The sand giant flung his fist into the building where Captain Marvel crashed into, but the attack was blocked by an invisible force field! Peter looked to the top of the building to his left, and standing there was the Invisible Woman, one third of the Future Foundation!

“Ah! It’s Susan Storm!” Peter heard Wanda squeal in delight. “She’s gonna kick this sand dude’s ass!”

“Nah, my money’s still on Cap,” replied Pietro, “She can probably bench press the continent if she wants to.”

Wanda groaned. “Not every problem can be solved by brute strength, dear brother,” she said in a mocking tone, “You need finesse and to think outside the box! Right, Pete?” She stood with her hands on her hips in a stance of confidence. However she got no response from her friend. “Pete?” When Wanda turned to face him, all she saw was him feverishly writing in his notebook. Deaf to the world around him.

“So Invisible Woman actually doesn’t disappear she just bends the light around her to make the illusion that she’s invisible so does that mean that she can’t see when she’s invisible or maybe the light is still hitting her eyes anyway so maybe she sees but you also have to consider…” Peter rambled on and on.

A moment of awkward silence fell upon Wanda, Pietro, and the gentleman as Peter muttered away. “Oh Pete.” Wanda sighed.

“Does your friend usually do this?” the gentleman asked.

Pietro scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. “Yeah, it’s hard for him to stop when he gets going.” Another crash was heard and the attention of the group was once again focused on the ensuing fight.

“You ready, Sue?!” yelled Captain Marvel as she flew upwards towards the sky.

“The barrier’s up, Carol; turn this villain into glass!” yelled the Invisible Woman back as she flexed her arms out.

The sand villain tried to reach for the flying superhero but found himself unable to move past the invisible barrier that blocked his path. “Wh-what the hell is this?!” he screamed in terror.

“This is the end of your villainy, Marko!” exclaimed Captain Marvel.

The crowd went wild, this was the public’s favorite part in villain fights: when the hero triumphs over the villain and saves the day. “Come on, ma’am! Show us a flashy finish!” the older gentleman exclaimed.

“I told you so,” Pietro said as he bumped Wanda’s arm with his elbow.

Wanda shot a dirty look at her brother. “Oh, shut up,” she said. She put her hand on Peter’s shoulder who was still writing in his notebook. “Peter, it’s about to finish. You’re gonna wanna see this.”

Peter’s consciousness came reeling back into reality as he saw Captain Marvel floating in the sky. Her golden aura intensified as her hair stood straight up. Peter internally squealed as he knew what was coming, he quickly aimed his camera at the hero. It was Captain Marvel’s signature move! The golden aura stopped being an aura and started to be the color of Captain Marvel’s skin as her body stored energy. Her quirk: Binary Engine, allows her to store energy inside of her and release it at her will. She yelled out a battle cry and flexed her arms forward. “Binary Ignition!” A beam of golden energy erupted from her fists. If one were to ask the crowd what occurred that day, they would say that they felt the Earth shake beneath them as they saw the furious fiery energy hurdle itself towards the giant sand villain. With a loud scream of pain, the sand villain took the blast in his giant sandy chest. The extreme heat from the energy started to solidify the sand that it hit.

“No!” the villain roared, “I-I can’t move!” With the invisible barrier now closed fully around the villain, the extreme heat from the binary blast went to work. The heat was trapped and had nowhere to go, just like the villain. The villain was quickly calcified in glass, unable to move. A statue to the victory of heroes, the sand villain was.

The crowd erupted in cheers and chants as Captain Marvel slowly descended back to the ground and the Invisible Woman followed suit. The heroes gave the all clear for the police to restrain the villain, a tall order given his size but the police always came prepared.

Peter, on the other hand, was feverishly writing in his notebook about the intricacies of what he saw of Captain Marvel’s signature move. How much heat it truly produced being the main point of intrigue for him. “So for sand to turn into glass the sand has to be exposed to a temperature of 3,090 degrees Fahrenheit or 1,700 degrees Celsius which means that Captain Marvel’s energy output is far greater than what I initially calculated for her maybe…”

“He really likes to write doesn’t he?” the gentleman asked.

Wanda sighed with a tinge of embarrassment. “Yeah, he really does,” she said. She then put on a big enthusiastic smile. “But, he’s going to be the best hero of all time. I just know it.”

“Wow, thanks, sis,” said Pietro.

The old man let out a light chuckle as he saw the two siblings bicker and Peter mutter and write in his notebook.

“... and you also have to consider the possibility that with enough stored power she can become a walking sun and that would be devastating for villains but maybe she can also solve any future energy crisis that the world will face and-“

“Hey, kid.” Peter felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see the old man standing next to him. “You don’t let anybody tell you that you can’t be a hero, alright? If somebody doesn’t believe in you, prove them wrong. Think of heroism as the classic mask and spandex costumes, it doesn’t matter who’s behind the mask. Anybody can be a hero.”

Peter felt the warmth and kindness of the old man’s words. He flashed him a goofy grin. “Thank you, sir! I promise to become the world’s greatest hero.”

The old man returned with a big smile. “Excelsior, young man! Now go out there, and become the best hero that you can be!”

The trio thanked the gentleman for his time and walked up to the train platform as the police gave the all clear to enter the station. They got on their train and sat down. Peter glanced out the window and a small smile formed on his face. Across the river he saw the apple of his eye. Adorned with a stylistic “A” on its face, stood Avengers Tower, HQ of the Mighty Avengers, the most popular hero agency in the world. While Avengers Tower was the HQ for the agency, it was also a school, Avengers Academy, where teenagers learn to become heroes. The school only taught from sophomore year to senior year of high school. Apparently because there wasn’t enough material for a full four years of hero education. “Hey, guys?” Peter called out to his friends.

Pietro and Wanda snapped out of their individual dazes from the painfully normal train ride and turned to their friend, his face plastered with an even bigger smile. “What’s up, man?” Pietro asked.

“Let’s apply to Avengers Academy,” Peter said. “Let’s be Avengers.”

Wanda’s face grew a soft smile. “Peter, you always say that,” she pointed out, “We’ve been wanting to be Avengers since we were kids!’”

“I think he just forgets that we made that pact years ago,” said Pietro, laughing as he did.

Peter turned to his left to face him. “No, I didn’t forget! I just want to make sure,” he said with a hint of anxiety in his voice. Peter’s face went from cheerful to solemn. This usually happened to him after being excited about heroes and his dream to be one. Almost as if somebody completely different swapped places with him. He would go from raving about heroes and claiming he was going to be an Avenger one day one second, and then the next second he would become eerily quiet. His eyes would darken with sadness. His whole demeanor would shift. He became reclusive and antisocial. In his head he thought to himself,

They’ll be the ones going to AA… not me. There aren’t any quirkless heroes in the first place, why would I be the exception?

Wanda noticed the drastic change in him. “Hey, hey, hey look at me,” she urged him. Peter turned to look at Wanda, and felt her hand on his shoulder. Her gaze met his. “You are going to be the best hero ever, okay? It doesn’t matter, okay? You’re already my hero.” She pointed to the red bandanna wrapped around her head as she said this. As Peter glanced at the accessory, he noticed how it wrapped down her cheek, under her chin, and was tied at the top of her head in a nice bow. Peter knew what she meant.

It’s been five years and she still remembers. To him, helping her up and tying his bandana around her head to keep her jaw in place was just the normal thing to do when someone trips and falls on their chin in Physical Education class.

He shot her a small, but genuine smile and said, “Okay.” Wanda shot a big smile back at him. As she did this his stomach became infested with butterflies and his face felt like it was lit aflame. He swore that he heard Pietro behind him groan and mutter, “Jeez, get a room.”

After yet another painfully average walk, they finally made it to their destination: Midtown High. Midtown High was just another average year 9-12 public high school located in Forest Hills, New York. Moderate in size, but gigantic in population. The school had trouble with too many students and not enough teachers to teach them. Cramped classrooms didn’t look good in the paper and it needed to be fixed. So to combat overpopulation and to promote transferring to other schools, there is a field trip to Avengers Tower for the freshman. If you want to tell kids to get out of your school, might as well tell them to be superheroes.

Unfortunately for Peter, the trio had to part ways for the time being since they all had separate homeroom classes. Peter sat in his classroom, and his gaze wandered around, looking at the 4x4 room that confined him. 25 desks filled the room in a semi-orderly fashion, Peter sitting near the back, which was unusual for him considering how studious he was. The floor was stained with age, under the coat of yellow was once a beautiful marble floor. The blackboard could never be truly cleaned as there were always remnants of past classes leaving their chalk footprint. Peter sighed and took a glance at the clock at the front of the class, however, he couldn’t make out the time with his bare eyes. He sighed once again, reached into his bag, and took out a container. He opened them and groaned as he was reminded that his glasses were ugly. Bright red covered the frame and the circular lenses felt as if they were half the size of his head. He put on his glasses, and the world suddenly became much clearer. He glanced at the clock again and saw it say it was 8:00 AM, right on the dot.

He groaned and let gravity claim his head. It made a nice and loud “bump” as it hit the desk. Peter knew what was coming. He counted down from fifty. He always comes in at 8:01 AM. Throughout the years of being bullied, Peter picked up a thing or two about personal quirks. At exactly 8:01 AM, he walked through the classroom door. His black hair stood in a spiky fashion, he wore a black muscle shirt, and baggy dark blue jeans. He was laughing as he entered the classroom, as if someone had told him a hilarious joke. Peter quickly stood up a book on his desk and opened it, creating a makeshift barrier between himself and the rest of the world. He fumbled with his glasses as he tried so desperately to put them back into their case. He lowered his head, below the book barrier. He didn’t want him to ruin today. It was supposed to be a happy day. He was going to Avengers Tower, he was going to see his heroes!

The world went silent and all Peter could hear was the sound of shoes hitting the floor, and it was getting closer. Peter silently whimpered. Why did he have to come after him today? Wasn’t he tired of this? Making his life hell? The footsteps stopped right next to him.

Oh no.

Pain was all Peter felt as his hair was being pulled back, forcing him to sit up straight. He felt every single strand of hair being unsuccessfully pulled from his scalp. He reluctantly opened his eyes, he had to face him now. All Peter saw was the black-haired kid smiling at him with a devious toothy smile.

“What do you want today, Flash?” Peter groaned, “Can you please let go of my hair?” Peter struggled as he grabbed the hand that had a fist full of his hair.

Flash gave a hearty laugh. “Aww, is Puny Parker all alone today? Is the quirkless wannabe sad that he can’t have his friends save him?”

He hated when Flash said that. It just reminded Peter of his true nature, that he was just normal. He doesn’t have the X-gene, he doesn’t have a quirk, he isn’t a mutant, he’s just human. Peter focused all of his might into digging his nails into Flash’s hand to make him let go. Suddenly, as he did that, Peter felt a gooey and slippery substance cover Flash’s hand, Peter squeezed but Flash didn’t let go. He only laughed.

“Oh Parker, did you piss off Venom?” he asked in a mocking tone. “Oh, is that right?” Flash said to no one in particular. Peter continued to thrash in pain as Flash kept his vice grip on his scalp. He felt like his hair was going to be pulled out, and his brain right with it. “Parker,” Flash said, his voice deepened, “Did you try to hurt me?” At this point, his voice became deep and twisted, almost demonic, as if two people were speaking in unison.

Peter grunted as he continued to struggle. “Yeah, so what? Let me go, damn it!” He glanced up at Flash and saw that his neck and a portion of his face were covered in black goop. Peter’s gaze then went to Flash’s mouth, he was baring his teeth, but they were all razor sharp. Oh God, Peter thought.

He saw this before. This black goop. Flash pulled Peter closer to his face. He could practically smell him failing to brush his teeth properly that morning. “That wasn’t very smart of you, Parker,” Flash said.

“Christ, Flash! Just leave me alone!” Peter exclaimed. Peter then curled his free hand into a fist and swung it at Flash. Momentum was stopped as Peter’s arm was caught, not by Flash’s arm, but a mouth, a mouth with sharp teeth. It wasn’t Flash’s mouth, but it was the black goop’s. It was a macabre sight to say the least. The mouth shot itself from Flash’s abdomen and latched on to Peter’s fist. Peter didn’t feel any pain, however, but he did feel the sharp teeth prick his wrist as it held it in place.

“Oh, Venom. You always know how to make me proud,” Flash said with a small chuckle. “Oh, that’s right! I didn’t feed you today, did I?” Peter’s eyes widened in horror. Flash gave a sinister smile. “Go wild.”

Peter shut his eyes as the word went into slow motion. Was Flash serious?! Was he going to let Venom devour his hand?! He could get suspended! Expelled even! He’d be charged with assault and battery and be tried as an adult! This is what perplexed Peter about Flash, he had great grades, was the school’s star quarterback, but he always did reckless activities that could have the potential of ruining his life. Even from a young age he was like this. Peter felt the terrifying mouth start to close on his fist, it was slow as if it was taunting him. As if it was letting his host enjoy the scene play out in front of him. He snapped back in reality, his gaze darted across the room, looking for someone, anyone to help him. His heart sunk as he saw the cruel reality; others had arrived by that time and they were all in their own groups, their own cliques, and they were watching the events unfold. They all just intently stared at the scene. No one dared make a move. Would anyone stand up and intervene? Peter closed his eyes, and braced for the pain that was to come.

It happened. Peter felt the teeth rip and tear into his skin. He tried letting out a scream but more black goop shot out of Flash’s chest and onto his mouth, which muffled Peter’s scream for help. The mouth kept slowly clamping down, it wasn’t long until it was going to hit Peter’s bone. Peter started to hyperventilate. His chest rose and fell. Rose and fell. Over and over again. As he saw what was happening to his hand his mind raced. Why him? Why today? Today was supposed to be a good day. Why? Why? Why? Peter felt the sharp teeth graze the top of his carpal bone. He closed his eyes and whimpered.

“That’s enough!” A voice pierced the unsettling air like a bullet.

Peter glanced towards where the voice was shouted from, and there he saw Wanda and Pietro. Pietro had his hand on Flash’s shoulder, grasping it with an iron grip, and Wanda stood near Peter, grabbing his arm and pulling it out of the jaws of the beast. Peter looked at her eyes, her pupils were glowing a bright red. She looked at the lacerations on his wrist with a deep and sad look. She took in a deep breath and put her free hand over the wounds, and then the magic started. Red energy started to flow out of her hand and into Peter’s wounds. When the red energy entered the wounds, Peter felt an extreme warmth run up his arm. It felt odd, but it wasn’t strange to him; he had felt this many times before. When Wanda first got her quirk five years ago, she’d been the person to heal Peter’s scars and bruises he sustained from his run-ins with Flash. The reason why Uncle Ben and Aunt May didn’t know how bad Peter really had it was thanks to Wanda’s quirk. He looked down in embarrassment, he could already tell that she was worried about him. The day had just started and Peter was already hurt.

“You got a death wish, Maximoff?” Flash growled.

“Leave him alone, Thompson,” Pietro demanded. Peter looked at the two feuding teens. To him, it was as if two forces of nature collided. Pietro, a benevolent mountain standing tall no matter the condition, and Flash, a ravaging tornado destroying everything in its path. Two titans facing off against each other, and it’s all because of a quirkless boy.

Flash scoffed and all of the black goop retreated back into his body, out of sight. He looked directly into Peter’s eyes. “You’re lucky your body guards came to rescue you, wallcrawler,” he said. He then went and sat in his seat at the other side of the room.

“Alright kids,” Peter’s teacher, Mr. Harrington said, “As you all know, today is the field trip to Avengers Tower.” Mr. Harrington was always an odd fellow, even in this world of superpowers. He was a tall lanky man, with brown hair and a bushy beard and moustache. Just by looking at him you can tell that he was a nerd in his youth. He wore brown suits to class, always had a neat tie on, and wore black dress pants. On his desk one could find memorabilia of the wonderful world of science. Globes, a model of the solar system, a Newton’s cradle, a map of the periodic table, etc. Peter liked Mr. Harrington; the appreciated his love of science, and even though Mr. Harrington gave the aura of a man who has been punched in the face one-too-many times, Peter related hard.

“Just so you all know, two students from different classes have requested to join ours for today.” Peter then took a glance at Pietro and Wanda who were sitting to the left and right of him respectively. As Peter looked at her, Wanda proudly showed him a small doodle of Flash being punched in the face by the Hulk. Peter smiled at the rough sketch. No matter how bad he felt, she could always make him laugh.

Peter’s gaze trailed back to his notebook in front of him. This was Peter’s Quirk Analysis book. It was open. The name Wanda Maximoff was written in the title section with neat handwriting. A picture of her was clipped on by a paper clip. Peter smiled at the photo he had taken last summer when they visited the planetarium. Her pose was odd, but unique. She had her fingertips touch one another, her legs spread and bent, her torso bent forward, and a big toothy smile plastered on her face as if she was saying, “Come at me, ya scoundrels!” She stood in front of a model of the planet Saturn. A small grin created itself on Peter’s face; that was a fun time for him.

Beside her picture were the words, “Quirk: Hex,” and below that were notes. Peter read these notes every so often. They were notes on Wanda’s Quirk. He came up with the name himself after seeing it in action so many times. Hex was one mystery of a power as it just showed up one day. For years people thought that Wanda was quirkless, until one day when she saved Peter from being Flash’s punching bag for the day. The memory flew through Peter’s mind like a bird through the sky. He remembered being pinned up to a tree, gazing into Flash’s eyes, which were filled with murderous intent. The next thing he remembered was Flash being lifted in the air by a mysterious red glow, and then seeing Wanda glowing with that same redness. This didn’t stop the bullying for her, however. Before she was being bullied for being a foreign quirkless girl, now she was being bullied for being a foriegn freak who got her quirk late.

Peter had spent hours studying Wanda’s quirk. There was one conclusion that he came about, Hex was a sort of probability manipulation, similar to Dr. Strange’s quirk: Mystic Arts. Her power could bend the fabric of probability in her favor. He theorized she can probably cause a gun to backfire just by looking at it, but he’d rather not test it. She can also shoot out red energy bolts as projectiles, they don’t hurt much, but it still was a force of concussive energy. Her quirk also allowed her to “heal” people, however, this was contested by Peter. The only thing she had done to heal him was close his wounds; he still felt sore and achy afterwards. Maybe since she doesn’t know the intricate details of the human body, she doesn’t know how to heal someone fully, or maybe she was just scared of screwing it up. In the end, Hex was an amazing quirk in Peter’s eyes. He couldn’t wait to see her become a hero one day.

He turned the page and came across Pietro’s entry. His picture was a one-in-a-million shot that Peter took at one of Pietro’s soccer games during Physical Education class. Pietro’s pose was simply art, his left leg outstretched after kicking the ball, his right arm crossing his body as his left arm is outstretched, keeping him balanced, and all the while a big goofy smile that screamed, “Yeah, I’m the best!” Peter remembered how much he and Wanda were cheering for him that day. In the end, Pietro’s team won and got bragging rights for a whole year.

Like Wanda’s entry, next to Pietro’s picture was the name of his quirk: Superspeed. It was fairly self explanatory, Pietro’s quirk allowed him to move at superhuman levels. He could outrun any car, train, plane… Well, maybe not a plane, Peter thought to himself. However, his quirk also granted him enhanced metabolism. Pietro was always fit, any scrape or bruise would be gone within minutes, and he had to eat a lot to keep up. Pietro always wanted to be a hero, and his quirk locked in his future to be one of the greatest heroes of all time.

Peter's smile turned into a frown as he turned to the next page. The name in the title box was Eugene “Flash” Thompson, and below that were the words “Quirk: Symbiote.” Flash’s quirk was the scariest of them all, it was a living organism that was bonded to Flash’s body. Its base form was a black goop that would cover Flash if it felt like it or Flash was being threatened. In reality, the symbiote was always on Flash. It was Flash, and Flash was it. It also gave itself a name: Venom. Venom can form any weapon from itself, be an impenetrable shield for Flash, and can enhance Flash’s strength fivefold. Flash and Venom were one and the same, they talked to each other, and they looked out for each other. Sometimes Peter would see Flash mumbling to himself, when in actuality he was having a conversation with Venom.

However, Flash wasn’t the only person in the world with a symbiote. Symbiotes were a quirk that arrived late to the scene as they’ve only been around for the past 80 years or so. Nobody knew where the symbiote quirk came from, and some even theorized they were a failed experiment caused by the Weapon program that was never properly disposed of. Unfortunately for people with symbiotes, there was a dangerous stereotype connected to them: cannibalism. It’s no secret that people with symbiotes need to have a larger intake of food since they’re effectively eating for two, so naturally rumors started to spread about people with the symbiote quirk. This stereotype was derived from one entity, a villain named Carnage.

The only symbiote that was able to leave its host and live on its own was one of the most dangerous villains alive. Its original host was a serial killer called Cleetus Cassidy, a cannibal with over 30 confirmed murders, most of them women and children. Cassidy was as messed up as a human could get. He truly believed that human life was meaningless, and he was doing his victims a favor by murdering them. Cleetus Cassidy’s religion was murder and cannibalism, and the symbiote believed as well. Eventually, the symbiote grew tired of Cassidy, and murdered him. Police found the gruesome corpse of Cassidy strung about the apartment, but Carnage was nowhere in sight. It escaped and bonded with a new host; It would continue this cycle for the next 26 years.

“Hey, uh, Pete?”

A voice pulled Peter out of his day dreaming, he looked around the room to see all the desks empty and Wanda and Pietro at the doorway of the classroom. Peter’s face turned red in embarrassment.

“Oh, sorry!” he exclaimed as he gathered his belongings and joined the duo.

At 200 Park Ave. in New York City sits a skyscraper unlike any other. It was a business center, R&D center, a laboratory, a Hero HQ, and an academy for young heroes-in-training. Adorned with a stylized “A”, Avengers Tower stands as a beacon of heroism. Peter Parker muttered these words to himself as he found himself standing outside the front door. He had so many questions to ask, but one stood out amongst all the others. A question he’s had since he could talk. A question on that day he would finally have answered.

As he stood in front of the building in a daze, Wanda and Pietro stood by his side, they both gave him a big smile. “Avengers Assemble?” Wanda asked them.

Pietro nodded. Peter looked Wanda in the eyes, and smiled as well. “Avengers Assemble.”

~A~

“Boss, there’s an emergency at Central Park. Reports say that Carnage has been spotted and is on the run.”

“Any heroes on patrol near there?”

“Negative, boss.”

“What about Carol?”

“Captain Marvel is currently with the Invisible Woman, they’re at the Raft making sure the villain they captured earlier is in proper custody.”

“... So you’re saying that I-“

“Boss, get off your ass and be a hero.”

“I don’t remember programming you with a potty mouth, Friday.”

“And I don’t remember asking for your opinion. The suit is at 100%.”

“How long will the charge last this time?”

“About two and a half hours, boss.”

“Heh, plenty of time.”

The shutters to the darkened room opened, revealing the city down below. A man clad in red and yellow armor walks out onto a balcony.

“Time to be Iron Man.”

To be continued...

#My Hero Academia #Avengers #Marvel #My Avengers Academy #Spiderman #Wanda Maximoff #Spideywitch #Pietro Maximoff #Venom #Iron Man #Fanfiction #Avengers Fanfic

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ohmygoodnessgraciouss · 5 years

Note

Helloooooo! I have recently discovered your talented self. Very sad it wasn’t sooner. Saw your post about requests and decided to check out your work. AND I AM IN LOVE 😍. I was wondering if I could request a Jason Todd x reader because Jason is bae. The reader is a famous singer and named a song after him (like Ariana grandes Pete Davidson). Hopefully you can work with that. Love you babe❤️

Masterlist

Hello! Aw, this was so sweet of you!! Honestly, I haven’t been on for long at all! Maybe a year at most lol. Even then, I don’t think any of my fanfics really started until back in January! But still, thank you so much for the sweet message! I could definitely work with your request and I hope you like it!

Chosen Song (I thought it worked for Jason, but you can always just replace it with a different song. It won’t matter): Unconditionally by Katy Perry

Fun fact: Unconditionally was one of my favorite songs when it first came out and as a smol child I was super annoyed that it never went as big as Dark Horse or Roar.

Words: 1762

"Are you sure it's alright?" Your boyfriend, Jason asked as you waved him off.

"I'm perfectly fine with it, Jason. You have a job. You have to go get Sionis before he hurts someone again. You've been to every other concert I've had in Gotham this year. Work on your own job. It'll be okay," You reassured him.

You, Y/N L/N, were considered the Queen of Pop to the world. You took the world by storm, performing in front of millions after starting your career in only a year. You conveyed your emotions so well in your songs that everyone could relate to them or understand what you were feeling. Well, they could understand everything except one thing.

You lived in Gotham City of all places. It's considered the country's most crime-ridden city. Every other singer you've talked to from Camila Cabello to Ariana Grande preferred the romantic cities in France and Italy to find inspiration for their songs. Not you though. Gotham City was home to not only the Dark Knight but your boyfriend, Jason Todd. Who coincidentally worked for the Dark Knight.

Your jobs conflicted with each other constantly. Sometimes you wouldn't see each other for months because of how busy you'd be. You didn't mind, and you trusted him just like how he trusted you. You were grateful for the few moments you could share with your boyfriend.

Every once in awhile though, Jason couldn't come to see you in concert. Unfortunately, one of those times was now. You were disappointed by it, but you weren't mad. He had his own job and it mattered more than a single concert. Maybe Bruce and the others could come along.

"I'll try to make it if I can, even if it's only for a few minutes," Jason replied as he wrapped his arms around your waist. You smiled up at him.

"Let me know if you're there then. I have a little surprise if you're able to show up. I've been working on a little song with Perrie. She was able to help me with the music, but the lyrics are all mine."

"I'll text Ryan if I can make it. If I can make it at any point it'd probably be in the first half-hour, so you can expect me around then." Ryan, your manager, always made sure to tell you if Jason made it to your show after you finished a song. He was practically an older brother at this point.

"Sounds like a deal."

"You guys are so energetic tonight, I love it!" You yelled into the microphone as thousands of fans cheered you on. From young teens to their middle-aged parents you could see people cheering you on while they had their phones in hand. Some of the lights were almost blinding because they were close, but they didn't compare to the ones that were constantly shining in front of you for the shows. You could feel the adrenaline rush as you always did during a show as you scanned the crowd for Jason quickly.

Ryan told you that he was here by some miracle, but he could only be there for a few minutes. It was just enough time to perform the song. You spotted Jason right in front, smiling up at you. You grinned at him and winked as you looked up to the crowd that roared in delight.

"Alright everyone, I have a little surprise for you," You paused for a moment as everyone cheered. "I'm currently working on another album, but I have a song ready for you guys to hear first."

Their screams and yells would make you deaf if you didn't have earbuds in. You didn't care though. You loved the high that came from it all. It was exhilarating.

"This one is dedicated to my lovely boyfriend who is currently here. He's helped me through everything and I can't thank him more for all that he's done," You smiled at him. The crowd cheered when you smiled at him.

As they started to quiet down the music began. It was much softer than the other songs you've already done. The crowd listened in quietly as Jason watched with intrigue.

Oh no, did I get too close oh?Oh, did I almost see what's really on the inside?All your insecuritiesAll the dirty laundryNever made me blink one time

He didn't expect you to go so in-depth especially so quickly into a song. Jason didn't mind it a single bit though. You weren't hiding anything in the song. He wasn't surprised. You tended to write about anything that went through your head.

You started writing this song when you were up at 3 AM waiting for him to get back. You had inspiration for no reason at all in the middle of the night when you were looking at a few old photos on your phone. They reminded you of the days when he'd push you away early on in your relationship. He was worried back then that you'd leave because of his past. After his parents, Bruce, the Joker, he didn't want to keep himself vulnerable to anyone. You kept going though. You wouldn't let him become a hermit crab.

Unconditional, unconditionallyI will love you unconditionallyThere is no fear nowLet go and just be freeI will love you unconditionally

You could almost see Jason's eyes light up slightly as you were singing. You could barely hear yourself from the awes that were going through the crowd. The phone lights were blinding now, so you could only see a few people in the first row for the most part.

Come just as you are to meDon't need apologiesKnow that you are all worthyI'll take your bad days with your goodWalk through this storm I wouldI'd do it all because I love you, I love you

Jason couldn't even think about what he had to do later that night. He was enchanted by your song and your voice. He could feel his phone vibrating in his pocket, no doubt it was Roy asking if he'd be there soon.

Unconditional, unconditionallyI will love you unconditionallyThere is no fear nowLet go and just be freeI will love you unconditionally

So open up your heart and just let it beginOpen up your heart, and just let it beginOpen up your heart, and just let it beginOpen up your heart

The lights started to dim as the music slowed and quieted for a moment. You were working with Ryan all afternoon to have the performance perfect if you could do it. The one thing you've learned from your shows is that the lighting changes everything. You trusted the technicians with it almost every time, but you asked for this specifically.

Acceptance is the key to beTo be truly freeWill you do the same for me?

Unconditional, unconditionallyI will love you unconditionallyAnd there is no fear nowLet go and just be free'Cause I will love you unconditionally (oh yeah)

The music faded away into nothing as the people started screaming for more. You smiled at them, but your eyes were focused on Jason's reaction.

Jason looked up at you like you were the only thing that mattered. You were beautiful, standing up on stage, doing what made you happy. You were panting slightly from the performance, but that's not what mattered. What mattered was that he knew at that point that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with you.

Later that night Jason made his way into your shared apartment. He placed his keys in the basket next to the door and headed towards the bedroom, planning to be quiet so you could sleep. Instead, he found you wide awake on the bed, checking your phone. You were under the covers and it looked like you had tried to sleep several times, but it was impossible.

"How did it go with Sionis?" You asked him as he went to go change.

"It went well, actually," You could detect the sarcasm quickly. "I referred to him a nice place to stay at for the night since his place was destroyed by some freak accident. He's not too happy with it since it has metal bars on the windows, but he doesn't have much of a choice." He turned to sit on the bed next to you. You smiled. "How did the concert go?"

"Well, the crowd practically lost it shortly after you left. They were really sweet about it all, but I think nothing else mattered after that to them," You laughed while he chuckled.

"Nothing else mattered for me either. That song was beautiful. I'm glad I was able to see it," He complimented you. You blushed slightly.

"I wrote it while we were in Paris. Do you remember that time you called and you had a heart attack because you realized it was three in the morning for me?"

"Of course. I got an earful from Ryan the day after. Not to mention Dick found out about it and decided to be a himself about it," He said, using Dick's name as a play on words.

You laughed slightly at the memory, remembering when Jason ranted to you about it shortly after you were home. "I couldn't sleep after that, so I started writing. I wrote about anything that came to mind which meant I wrote about our memories. I figured you'd rather not let the whole world know about it all, so I decided to stick with that song."

"Then I should tell you exactly what I thought of it." He wrapped his arms around your waist to bring you close as he laid down.

"And what did you think of it?"

"I thought it was absolutely beautiful, and I don't know what I did to deserve you. I don't think I could thank you in words alone. However, with your permission, I could thank you in another way," He winked.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking then?" You asked him, grinning slyly.

"I must be," He replied, almost visibly showing that he was getting excited for what would be next.

"Then a delicious breakfast would be the perfect way to start the morning tomorrow, thank you." You kissed him on the tip of his nose before turning around to your side, facing away from him.

You could feel his shoulders slump before he chuckled. He spooned you and kissed the top of your head lightly. "I love you," You heard him say as he drifted off to sleep.

"I love you too."

~I will love youI will love youI will love you unconditionally~

#jason todd #jason todd x reader #x you #batman #dc #comics #bruce wayne #robin #nightwing #dick grayson #tim drake #damian wayne #gotham #gotham city #joker

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guynamedultimax · 5 years

Text

Smash Characters and people who main them

So, I was thinking about who mains certain Smash characters. Aaaand I got these ideas.

Mario: Probably Mickey Mouse. Or Emmet from the Lego Movie franchise idk

DK: Surely not King Kong because he has big hands and would break a Joy-Con just by touching it, not even a GameCube controller is safe. 100% Winston from Overwatch is the candidate, even better if he takes the blue DK skin lol

Link: Sora. This one is easy as hell.

Samus: Tony Stark is the first option that comes to mind.

Dark Samus: And since Rhodes can’t use Samus, might as well use the OTHER Samus lol

Yoshi: It is canonically stated in Deltarune that Asriel Dreemurr mains him and loves him to death.

Fox: I’m not sure how a red pirate fox animatronic holds a Joy-Con or two but probably Foxy from FNAF is the perfect main here.

Pikachu: It’s either Agumon or Jibanyan, too easy. Also put Jibanyan in Smash Sakurai pls

Luigi: Probably Donald Duck to parallel Mickey, the only difference between the two would be that Donald has a short temper while Luigi is a cowardly lion (and the plumber-sailor thing)

Ness: *MEGALOVANIA AND GAME THEORY INTRO INTENSIFIES* Ok jokes aside I think John Egbert and/or Sans are good candidates as Smash main.

Captain Falcon: Raphael, the red turtle from the Teena- wait why am I explaining an obvious character. His bros collectively main another character.

Jigglypuff: D.Va, full stop. She is a bunny person but may also love a Jigglypuff (now I want a drawing of Hana hugging the Puff help me)

Peach: Sooo, let’s see...Mickey has Mario... Donald has Luigi... I think you know where I’m going with this one.

Daisy: OH GOD I JUST REALIZED THAT DAISY DUCK MAINS PRINCESS DAISY, IT’S A “HI I’M-DAISY-CEPTION!”

Bowser: Is there any drawing of Bowser cosplaying as Peg-Leg Pete and viceversa? I’d die for that, it would be hella funny, especially with Mario and Mick dying from laughter in the distance.

Ice Climbers: Hmmm...twins...you can use them to make icy puns...I KNOW! IT’S GEORGE AND FRED

Sheik: Literally any of the ninjas from Lego Ninjago, bonus points for Lloyd.

Zelda: I have literally no damn ide-oh wait. I can use literally any blonde Disney princess lol

Dr. Mario: Undecided between Sorcerer Apprentice!Mickey and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit

Pichu: Shogunyan makes the most sense to me. I don’t know a lot about any other Digimon so I’m sorry if I don’t have Digimon ideas for Pichu.

Falco: I don’t know why but the thought of Chica maining Falco makes me laugh. Not that I ship Fox and Falco, of course, but seeing my FNAF OTP using two best pals looks funny enough to me

Any Fire Emblem character that is not Robin or Corrin: I literally have no damn idea.

Young Link: The first one that came to mind was Kenny from South Park and I don’t know, don’t even ask me

Ganondorf: I can just see Gamora giving Thanos a copy of Smash for the Switch and him curbstomping people as Ganondorf

Mewtwo: I still think that Beerus is an AU version of Mewtwo. If Beerus wasn’t a lazy dickhead maybe he would have been similar to Mewtwo.

Mr. Game & Watch: Bendy. Just, Bendy. And not even moster Bendy, just, regular Bendy.

Meta Knight: I wonder how much does Bruce Wayne play Smash when he is not being Batman. Although it’s probably possible that his favourite is Brawl.

Pit: I can just see Tony Stark losing at Smash against Pit and saying: “Fuck you, Barton.” AHAHAHAHAH

Dark Pit: This is for Hawkeye post-Decimation. Sorry if u lost ur family pal. Really sorry. I wanna kick Thanos in the groin for this.

Zero Suit Samus: Of course Natasha Romanoff mains Zero Suit Samus. Fanservice girl for fanservice girl.

Wario: I know Roadhog isn’t greedy and doesn’t care a lot about money except for his fee from Junkrat but he looks like the perfect Wario main in my opinion.

Snake: A spy for a spy. The name is Snake. Solid Snake. *mashup of James Bond theme and Encounter plays in the distance*

Pokèmon Trainer: Literally Ash Ketchum is the only possible choice here.

Diddy Kong: Uuuuh, the Apes from Ape Escape. Yup.

Lucas: Ok listen up, it’s Darwin Watterson. A squishy adorable fish boi for an adorable psychic blondie kid. It’s the perfect matchup! Almost...(Thank god Ninten is not yet in Smash)

Sonic: Me. What, can’t I reclaim one of my mains? The fella here introduced me to gaming with Sonic Rivals on the PSP. Thank god I didn’t buy a PS3 or ‘06.

Dedede: King Candy from Wreck-It Ralph. At least before he reveals himself as the fucker known as Turbo.

Olimar: Keroro from Sgt. Frog. Don’t ask.

Lucario: Sasuke? Idk

R.O.B.: Shared between C-3P0, R2-D2 and BB-8. Easy.

Wolf: Idk Boris the Wolf? I really dunno I suck at this.

Toon Link: Happy from Fairy Tail. JUST LOOK AT HOW MUCH OF A CAT TOON LINK DOES LOOK LIKE

Villager: Chara from Undertale. I don’t need to explain this.

Mega Man: Give me any blue Power Ranger.

Wii Fit Trainer: Hard one. I have no idea help

Rosalina and Luma: IT’S TINKERBELL

Little Mac: *Rocky theme intensifies* ROCKYYYYYYYYYYY BALBOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAA

Greninja: Naruto full stop

Palutena: Cosmos from FF Dissidia.

Mii Fighters: The Xbox avatars. I think this one was pretty obvious.

Pac-Man: Donnie, Mikey and Leo all collectively main Pac. Best part they stop literally any attempt from Raph to spam Falcon Punches lol.

Robin: *Hedwig’s Theme intensifies*

Shulk:...Kirito?

Bowser Jr.: My other main, the one I use the most. For you, I shall summon the perfect main! *Lancer pops out from nowhere*

Duck Hunt: It’s Pluto. You know, Mickey’s dog? Jeez, why doesn’t Disney focus a little more on Pluto?

Ryu: KAME....HAME...HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Ken: *insert Vegeta reference here*

Cloud: FINAL FANTASY TIME, COME ON AND GRAB YOUR FRIENDS, WE’LL GO TO VERY DISTANT LAANDS, WITH JAKE THE DOG AND FINN THE CLUD STRIFE MAIN- ok enough I think you understood the reference.

Corrin: Danaerys Tyrgaryen. Did...did I write that right? I really dunno

Bayonetta: *Insert Dante quote here*

Inkling: de Blob. You...you don’t know de Blob? You should go check that game, it’s fire.

Ridley: Smaug. I know, I’m out of ideas.

Simon: Van Helsing, of course.

Richter: ...I HATE WHEN i AM OUT OF IDEAS

King K. Rool: Does Godzilla count? Or is he a King Kong issue? Ok no wait, any member from the Croc tribe of Legends of Chima is fine

Isabelle: Lucy Heartphilia, easy.

Incineroar: Ok, listen up, before I get in this one, I DO NOT SHIP ISABELLE WITH INCINEROAR. That being said.....Natsu. I can just imagine him and Lucy playing Smash in such an intense way while Happy just plays calmly and beats both lol

Pirahna Plant: Actually the first one that came to mind and gave me the idea for this post. Pennywise the Dancing Clown. Cause, you know, teeth.

Joker: Robin Hood. I know Joker is not an archer user but the gentleman thief thing is there after all

Sorry for the long post, here is the word “potato”. See ya next time and if you have any ideas for missing characters I’d be glad to get them

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kxrn7knxck · 6 years

Note

Can you write something about Aepete, like something super fluffy like Ae going on a date with Pete and its just all adorable cause I need some of that in my life XD

//Well anon, I hope this is good enough. It’s def longer than I thought it would be so I’m sorry about that but I hope you like it regardless. Fluff isn’t really my forte but I liked the idea I had for this so…

Ae bounced through the door to the dorm like a professional Tigger impersonator, a wide smile plastered on his face. Pond sat up at the noise of the door opening and watched with a smirk as his roommate flopped down on his bed, before burying his face in his pillow and wiggling his short little legs like a child.

“The date went well then?”

“God, it was the BEST,” beamed Ae, removing his face from the pillow and flipping over so he was sitting, facing Pond. “You were so right about taking him to the Zoo! We got to meet a giraffe, Pete fed it lettuce and I was able to pat it on the nose! He was like it eats more healthily than you do so I tried to hit him with some of it but I threw it by accident and it ended up on the floor of the enclosure and one of the babies ate it. It was so cute, he was laughing so hard. You know how giraffes look when they bend down, it was so stupid looking, ya know? We saw some turtles, oh- And we saw otters, too! One of them waved at us and Pete got all giggly at it so I waved at him too and he said that I’m even cuter and he kissed my cheek!!”

Ae stopped for a second to hit Pond for his smug expression before sighing and leaning back on his bed.

“We went and got lunch too. I paid because Pete paid for the tickets. He wanted to pay for the food too but I said-“ Ae cut himself off with a shake of his head. “Anyways, it was so good.” He sighed, leaning his head back and closing his eyes, the smile still hovering over his lips.

“So… How far did you guys go today?”

“Whatcha mean? We just went to the Zoo, its a couple kilometers away. He drove me.”

“Nah, I know that. I mean,” Pond lent forward like he was about to disclose nuclear launch codes in a room full of spies, “Did you fuck him?”

A kick, five thrown pillows later and a multitude of curse words that a totally “family friendly” blog like me wouldn’t be comfortable writing out later, Pond was still laughing so hard that if he had more than three brain cells he might worry about cracking a rib.

“So- so..” He tried to take a breath but it still came out as a chuckle. “Is that a yes?”

Ae focused all his energy on not throwing the lamp at Pond’s head, instead opting for the tissue box. “No. And even if I did, that’s none of your business. We just held hands. And kissed…” Ae muttered the last part, but Pond heard it clear as day.

“Why are you even embarrassed about saying that anymore? It’s not like you said you love him or something, a kiss doesn’t mean anything. You’ve kissed him before, right?”

Ae nodded as he chewed on his lip. “Yea, I guess you’re right…”

“Of course I am! Why do you even question me anymore? You know that I’m always right about stuff like this!”

“Mmm,” Ae hummed, distracted. He got up and headed through to the bathroom.

“Are you about to do what I think you are?” Sing-songed Pond, only to get a slammed door as a response.

Pete softly closed the door to his room behind him, not bothering to flip on the light, rather just going to his desk and resting his head in his hands, the memories of what happened during the day whirling around in his head. The smile on his face could put the Cheshire Cat out of work, the Joker should have been there to take notes.

“I can pay, Ae. Don’t worry about it.”

“Are you crazy? You paid for the tickets, so it’s my job to pay for the food. I love you too much to let you pay for everything.” He had said, then walked up to the counter and paid. Pete remained frozen in his tracks. When Ae had come back to fetch him, complaining about how stupid it was to have to pay 500 baht for two meals, he had grabbed Pete’s hand, like normal, and tried to lead him away, but Pete had stayed put, staring at him with wide eyes.

“What’s wrong, Pete? Are you ok? Are you tired? Are you not feeling well?” Ae had gushed after seeing his flushed face, while he tried to feel Pete’s forehead with the back of his hand to check for a fever.

“I’m fine, Ae.” He said, brushing his hand off. “Sorry, it’s just that… You said… You said that you…”

“If you think that I’m angry at you for trying to pay, don’t worry about it. I just don’t need you to throw money at me to make me stay, you know that.”

“No no, it’s not that. You just, uh-… You said you… You love me…” Pete murmured, looking anywhere other than at Ae.

“Oh.” Now it was Ae’s turn to flush. “Oh, I just… Sorry. I just thought, you know, cause we’ve been together for a few months, I-… Sorry.”

“No, no, don’t be sorry. I…I mean, I love you too. I just.. Didn’t know you felt that way, I guess. It’s not like its a big deal or anything, I just… wasn’t expecting it, I guess. Its fine, don’t worry about it. Forget you even said it, it doesn’t matter anywa-”

Ae reached up slowly and gently guided Pete’s chin so they were looking at each other. Ae smiled gently, before pushing up on his toes so he could plant a gentle kiss on Pete’s lips.

“I love you, Pete.”

Pete finished writing the details of the day in his diary before closing it and hugging it to his chest, still smiling like he’d just been given everything he could have ever asked for. To be fair though, he had.

#hhh i hope this is ok!#thanks for the request!#love by chance #fanfiction #//t

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amandajoyce118 · 5 years

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The Punisher Season 2 Easter Eggs And References

Yes, I know. You don’t have to tell me that the second season of The Punisher dropped on Netflix a month ago. Surprisingly, this last month has been extremely busy for me. Birthdays, family stuff, changes in management at my day job, changes in editors (thrice!) at my freelance job, plus prepping my tax stuff has left me with very little free time. I finally managed to finish the second season this weekend (and I started Umbrella Academy, which is really interesting, but something I’m not familiar with, so no Easter Eggs on that one, sorry!) and finish writing up Easter eggs as well.

As usual, there are spoilers, but I went episode by episode with the Easter eggs. Anybody worried about spoilers has probably already watched the show at this point. I feel like I was probably the last one out there who hadn’t watched. Despite it taking me forever and a day to watch the show, there’s still a chance I didn’t catch everything, especially since the Punisher doesn’t seem like a show with a lot of in-universe Easter eggs.

Happy reading!

S2E01 “Roadhouse Blues”

The Van

Oh, look. Pete AKA Frank is using a van full time. In the comics, the van houses a wide variety of weapons and surveillance equipment, but Frank isn’t quite that high tech without the help of someone like Micro around. He also calls it the Battle Van.

Lola’s Roadhouse

It’s probably just a coincidence, because Lola is just one of those names that pop culture junkies seem to love, but… who else thinks it might be a nod to Coulson’s favorite car in Agents of SHIELD?

Fiona

Some people will try to find the Marvel character that is “Fiona,” but again, I think this one is a coincidence. Why? Fiona is a weirdly popular name in comics. There’s a Fiona who is an Inhuman who can fly. There’s a Fiona who founds the sisterhood and hates men. There are also Fionas who are artists/writers/pencilers/etc in real life. I think this is just a case of them picking a pretty name.

Michigan

It’s the last place anyone would look, you say? Kind of like how it’s the last place anyone seems to care about because Flint still doesn’t have clean water? Yep.

S2E02 “Fight Or Flight”

Pete and Rachel

I like that Frank is still using the name Pete, but can we all laugh for a second about how these two are Pete and Rachel? It makes me laugh because these are two characters in friends. Pete only asks Monica out because he overhears Monica and Rachel talking about their love lives (or lack of them). Pete, funnily enough is like a Tony Stark character here: wealthy, throwing money around to get what he wants, buying women buildings, etc. He’s also played by Jon Favreau AKA Happy Hogan in the Iron Man movies. It’s one of those things that’s not meant to be a connection, but proves you can find “Easter eggs” in anything.

Rachel AKA Amy

Amy is based on a comic book character, but she’s been completely changed for the show. In the comics, she was a little girl who saw Frank escape a crime scene and promised him she wouldn’t tell anyone. He helped her out a few times as well. But, like I said, completely different. (Of course, the use of the name Rachel, and some of her later story gives a nod to another comic book character as well. We’ll talk about that later.)

Larkville, Ohio

Clearly based on Clarkville, Ohio. They thought leaving off one letter would make it less obvious? Anyway, here are some fun facts about Ohio in the MCU. It’s where there was a secret wing of a prison for powered people (thanks, Agents of SHIELD). It’s also where Coulson and company went to get information about CENTIPEDE (again, thanks Agents of SHIELD). Lincoln Campbell tried to escape Inhuman life as a doctor there (again, Agents of SHIELD). It’s also where Bucky sarcastically remarked Steve Rogers was from for one of his many fake ID’s to get in the army (Captain America: The First Avenger). And, it’s also where Helmut Zemo tracked down a super soldier in hiding (Captain America: Civil War). So, what I’m saying is, if you’re interested in lying low in the MCU, you don’t go to Ohio. Someone will find you.

Billy’s Memory

Billy Russo’s memory being jumbled, or having gaps, provides a nice storytelling device, but it’s also a nice nod to the comics. His memory was manipulated, or he was brainwashed, a few times. The only thing that restored his memory those times? Fighting the Punisher, of course.

A Jigsaw Puzzle

Lots of puzzle references to Billy, and with good reason. In the comics, he’s Jigsaw. The guy gets thrown through a plate glass window and his face is put back together like a jigsaw by a surgeon. He takes on the name and vows revenge.

Billy’s Mask

His mask is more than just to build suspense by covering up his face. You’ll see there are red and blue colors on the sides? It’s meant to be a nod to an art therapy practice that’s become helpful in treating soldiers with PTSD as a result of their work. Soldiers are instructed to create a mask to show people what they’re feeling on the inside, even if they can’t say it. National Geographic did a whole piece on how the work has been helping people. I wrote about it in my Jigsaw list, briefly.

S2E03 “Trouble The Water”

129

The door number that is clearly visible when Billy breaks out of the hospital with his therapist’s help is 129. To be fair, most house numbers, door numbers, and phone numbers are completely random. This one might be a coincidence. But… Amazing Spider-Man issue 129 was the very first appearance of the Punisher. Jigsaw AKA Billy Russo appeared over 30 issues later in the same series. It seems purposeful.

Mahoney

Look at Mahoney, making the rounds still. He started as a character on Daredevil and has worked his way through the Netflix shows.

The Pilgrim

That’s the name given in press releases to the religious villain who has some, uh, questionable tattoos removed once upon a time. He’s not a specific comic book character, but a lot of people have compared him to the Mennonite from the old Punisher comics.

S2E04 “Scar Tissue”

WHiH

The world news station of choice in the MCU, this one gets more attention in the movies. It’s covering news from every corner of the globe. Recently, it’s made its way into the Netflix shows, Agents of SHIELD, and Runaways as well.

WJBP TV

Another station in the MCU, this one is local. It’s typically only seen in the Netflix corner of the universe, so it’s usually covering New York news.

The Kitten Hanging On The Branch

I’m sorry, but did anyone not see one of these posters if they grew up in the United States? Nice nod to the inspirational poster schtick the public school system has. I think I saw it in guidance counselor offices at every school I went to.

New York Bulletin

Yes, the Bulletin is still going strong despite losing a lot of its staff in the second season of Daredevil.

Amy AKA Rachel

Okay, so despite looking like a nod to the little kid who keeps Frank’s secret in the comics, this character also appears to be a nod to Rachel Cole. She ended up in the middle of a gang war and became a vigilante, falling in with Frank.

Baseball

So, Billy had a thing for baseball? You know who else had a thing for baseball? Dex AKA Bullseye in Daredevil season two. Nice job keeping your sociopaths on theme, Netflix MCU.

S2E05 “One-Eyed Jacks”

Three Card Monte

I have a hard time believing that Frank Castle, marine, killer, and all around street savvy dude, doesn’t understand how Three Card Monte works. Then again, maybe no one has tried to swindle him with cards because they value their life. Who knows? Anyway, I found this version interesting because most people who hustle with it want you to “find the lady” as the queen of hearts. Here, it’s the queen of diamonds. I’m not sure what that says, but it’s interesting. (Also, I feel like Amy AKA Rachel and Skye AKA Daisy would get along. It reminded me of the sugar packets and Mike’s ID in the Agents of SHIELD pilot).

Turk Barrett

At this point, if you don’t know who Turk is, I’m just going to assume you haven’t seen any of the Netflix shows before. In which case, why are you reading these Easter eggs? Go start watching from the beginning, and then come back.

Oh, sh1t!

I think it’s cute that for all her life as a hustler, she doesn’t use actual curse words, but instead, speaks the way teens might curse via text.

S2E06 “Nakazal”

“You could always burn the place down.”

I feel like this is a nod to how arson tends to be a last resort for Frank in the comics. He prefers to go in, guns blazing, and just take people out. There are a few stories where he’s torched whole buildings, but they usually are just a minor thing in a major story arc.

Anderson And Eliza Schultz

Not comic book characters, but they do share their surname with Herman Schultz AKA the Shocker. I think that’s probably not a big connection. Instead, it’s more likely that the writers liked the name, and as a bonus, it gives them a nod to comic creators Charles Schultz (Peanuts) and Mark Schultz (art for DC, but also really big in indie comics).

I’m not going to list all of the political commentary in this episode, but whew. They really went for it.

S2E07 “One Bad Day”

The Title

“All it takes is one bad day to reduce the sanest man to lunacy.” Or at least, that’s what the Joker believes in Batman’s The Killing Joke. It’s one of the biggest Batman stories ever, so I’m thinking the title is no coincidence. I also think a few staff members are Batman fans since the kid in the first episode also had a Batman backpack.

Fragmentation Grenade

An interesting choice for a weapon since in the comics, Jigsaw gets healed a few times, only to have his face ruined again by the Punisher. One of those times is the result of a fragmentation grenade.

S2E08 “My Brother’s Keeper”

The Fatal Shore By Robert Hughes

The book Amy reads when she’s bored in the trailer is actually about the founding of Australia. History teaches us it was a penal colony - the place where criminals were shipped to start over - but there were already Aboriginals there, which made for quite the conflict. Someone like Amy probably would have found the crime, the hustle of the whole thing, interesting, but she doesn’t strike me as someone who would be into history, so it’s no wonder she put it down.

“He did everything he could to you to make sure you suffered for the rest of your life.”

Yes. This is exactly why Frank leaves Billy alive in the comics. He kills everyone who had a hand in the deaths of his family - all but Billy, even though they weren’t as close as brothers in the comics. He leaves Billy alive so that the guy can suffer, but also to serve as a warning to anyone who comes after him. Billy spends a lot of his story arcs either trying to get revenge, or trying to get his “pretty boy” looks back.

S2E09 “Flustercluck”

Valhalla

Do we say this is a nod to the Thor franchise, or do we just accept that the world at large has the idea of Valhalla as paradise? Your call.

“I’m not the one that dies…”

I’ll confess Punisher is not my comic book cup of tea, but I feel like he said this line in a comic once. I could be wrong.

S2E10 “The Dark Hearts Of Men”

The Title

Pretty sure this is a nod to a Bible verse about humanity. But I’m not up on my Bible knowledge and a google search just gives me a bunch of reviews of this episode, so I’m sorry this isn’t more specific?

“Drunkards Prayer”

This is the song that plays when the Pilgrim is both fighting and recovering from his fight. It’s a song about wanting to be pious, but knowing you’re an addict. And it fits with his character pretty well. AJ McLean (of the Backstreet Boys) covered it once, if you’re interested. I think you could also apply it to just about any character in Castle’s world - people wanting to be better, but unable to leave the bad things in their life behind. And no, I won’t dissect every song choice for the season, but this one stuck with me.

Making Castle Believe The Worst

Making the Punisher believe he killed innocent people is straight out of the comics. It’s one trick a villain uses to bring him down, though ultimately, he figures out he wasn’t the one responsible. That looks like the same thing here with Castle believing he killed the women and the therapist’s “I know how to break Castle” thing.

S2E11 “The Abyss”

Queens

I find it interesting that the Punisher is frequenting Queens a lot in this season. (The warehouse where he gets arrested, as noted in the radio broadcast, is in Queens.) Why? Because he was introduced in a Spider-Man comic and frequently crossed paths with the web crawler. Where is Peter Parker from? Queens.

Karen Page

Karen’s appearance as Frank’s “lawyer” here muddles the timeline a bit. We’ve all been thinking this occurs after season three of Daredevil. That season ended with Matt and Foggy reforming Nelson and Murdock, but with making Karen a partner as well. Never mind that she doesn’t have a law degree or anything like that. But, Karen introduces herself as representing Nelson and Murdock. Maybe her name isn’t in the business because she’s not a lawyer? Or maybe this is actually set before that? Who knows? It’s all very ambiguous.

Sacred Saints Hospital

While this hospital didn’t appear in another episode, the Sacred Saints Cemetery did, and I wonder if they’re connected to one another? Sacred Saints is where Elektra was supposedly buried, which gives us a lot of Daredevil connections in this episode, huh?

Matt Murdock

Frank mentions the man himself while talking with Karen. I feel like this is more of a reminder that Frank knows Matt is Daredevil than it is a legit comment on the state of Matt and Karen’s relationship.

Karen’s Shoes

Not an Easter egg, but I like that the payment to the morgue tech/assistant medical examiner was her very expensive shoes, not something tropey like drinks with him. Thank you, writers. This was cute. Also, it gave Karen the means to run around the hotel easier and not be held back by her heels.

S2E12 “Collision Course”

Mr. Blue

The only thing I noticed in this episode was the nickname given to Billy by the florist. It’s actually the alias Betty Ross used in the comments when Bruce Banner was a fugitive and she tried to stay in contact with him. Probably not intentional, but you never know.

S2E13 “The Whirlwind”

“...pull your spine out of your throat…”

In the “Space” stories for the Punisher, he does something like this to Ultron, funnily enough. He reaches into Ultron’s mouth and pulls his core out, not his spine, through his throat.

Dive School In Florida

Okay, I couldn’t find any characters associated with the Punisher who spend a lot of time in Florida, but I can tell you Florida made its first appearance for Marve in Marvel Comics #1, that Man-Thing is from there, and that Captain Marvel spent time there working for NASA. Florida has also popped up in a few episodes of Agents of SHIELD. It’s where Joey (former SHIELD ally and Inhuman teammate) lives, where Elena has friends, and where May and Coulson pretended to be married to steal a painting.

The Final Shot

That final image of Castle in his Punisher vest opening fire has been in several comics. It’s clear it’s intentional.

Stan Lee

The final episode closes with an “in loving memory.” Not really an Easter egg, but worth a mention. While Stan Lee did not create the Punisher, he had a hand in his name. Originally, Frank Castle was going to be called the Assassin. Lee thought they should go for something a little less on the nose, and coined the Punisher.

A few notes for the season:

Castle never purposely uses lethal force against law enforcement. I guess that’s supposed to make us believe that his killing of all the bad guys is acceptable.

The support group that Curtis leads? One of my favorite things is that there are a lot of flyers on the bulletin boards behind them for things like free puppies. A lot of these guys would do better (not suddenly be whole again, but maybe do a little bit better) with an emotional support animal. It’s proven that having an animal to come home to can actually help you live longer. It’s one of the reasons there are groups that take animals into children’s hospitals and retirement homes for people to play with.

The season finale actually feels very final to me. I think this might have been the only one of the MCU Netflix shows where the writers thought they might not come back? Because it seems like they closed everything up nicely instead of teasing something else down the line.

That’s all I’ve got this time around. The next Easter egg list on the horizon for me is, I believe, Captain Marvel, which should be up the same weekend it releases since I’m seeing that one opening night.

#punisher #punisher season 2 #punisher easter eggs #marvel easter eggs #easter eggs

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monkees-on-the-line · 6 years

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Grocery Shopping - Modern Series

Summary: Peter has an annoying habit and it drives Davy nuts.

Ships: Jork

Part of the Modern Series

Every few minutes, the fuzz of an approaching cars headlights would enhance Davy’s restlessness. He stirred in his seat and sighed loudly, turning his head against the passenger seat of the car but Peter didn’t seem to notice or didn’t care. He was too busy singing along happily with the radio.

“Pete? Can we go inside now?” Davy asked, shifting even more. Peter frowned and shook his head.

“They never play this on the radio! I have to stay and listen!” He insisted, pointing his finger as the song continued.

“You said that for the last three songs!” Davy burst, pushing himself forward before sliding back up in his seat with crossed arms. Peter chuckled, always sort of amused when his tiny boyfriend got all pouty. Which annoyed Davy to no end.

“Well it was true!” Peter smiled.

Davy stared at him for a few more seconds before looking out his window to the grocery store just a few cars away. He rolled his eyes to himself, watching Peter’s reflection in the foggy window.

“Well, you can stay here but I’m going to get the food before the store closes. Come in and find me when you’re done here.” He pulled the door handle and was about to hop out but Peter cleared his throat.

Davy bent down as he stood in the doorway. “What?” He raised his brow but Peter only grinned with teasing eyes, shaking his feet a little. “Oh.” Davy rolled his eyes again but crawled back into the car to peck Peter’s lips. “See you later, weirdo.” Davy chuckled and exited the car.

Peter watched him go with a small smile on his face as the song began to fade out. He got ready to head in after Davy but as he grabbed for the keys, The Steve Miller Band faded in.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Davy stared out the store window with pursed lips and a tapping foot. He wasn’t a very patient person so he wasn’t the best judge for these situations but this was just ridiculous.

“You can swipe your card now, Sir.” Came the checkout lady’s voice. Davy snapped his head back and gave her a charming smile and did as he was supposed to. He gathered the bags and had a few in each hand as he sped out of the building.

He opened the back door of the car, hearing a quick taste of the song playing, as he threw the bags onto the seat. He slammed the door closed and got himself back inside, sitting in his seat with his arms crossed again.

Peter rolled his lips together to conceal his amused grin, looking down at his hands in his lap.

“Peter?” Davy turned to look at him.

“Yeah?” Peter looked up, his smile breaking free once he saw Davy’s face. He giggled a little but Davy just looked towards the radio.

“I was in there for twenty minutes....how many songs could have been that could for you to stay out here?” He jabbed his finger out and turned the radio off. Peter brightened.

“Well, you missed ‘The Joker’,‘Take It Easy’, ‘Let It Be’-”

“Peter, I didn’t ask you to list the songs that you chose over my excellent company.” Davy held out his hand and his eyes flickered with amusement. Peter chuckled and went to flick the radio back on.

“You can’t be mad at me, the songs were just too good.” He smirked and Davy cocked his to the side, tongue flicking as he put on mock defense.

“Well maybe while you were out here dilly-dallying, I flirted with the check-out bird.” Davy smirked, raising his eyebrows.

Peter tilted his head to the side, reading Davy like an open book. “But did you really though?” He smirked and Davy crumbled.

“No.” He pouted and shifted up in his seat. Peter giggled and leaned back to peek into the bags in the backseat.

“What’d you get?”

Davy scoffed. “Since you weren’t there, just what I wanted.” He smirked but Peter knew better as he plopped back into his seat.

“I call your bluff, Jones.” He poked Davy’s side and the smaller boy flicked his hand away with a reluctant laugh.

“Just for this...” Davy gestured into the air, trying to convey his point as Peter teasingly followed his hands with excitement in his eyes like a dog. Davy quickly stopped gesturing. “We’re not watching ‘Friends’ when we get back to our dorm, we’re watching what I want to watch.” He smiled.

“And what do you want to watch?” Peter asked with amusement.

“Ummmm, QVC....” Davy could barely keep a straight face as he stared down Peter.

Peter burst into a chuckle. “QVC?”

“Yeah, y’know I like judging the stuff on home shopping channels.” Davy composed himself, crossing his arms but quickly crumbled with laughter again. Peter rolled his eyes.

“At least it’s nowhere near as annoying as you watching that infomercial channel all the time to see the same Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame DVD’S ad.” Davy poked Peter’s arm. Peter grabbed his hand and patted it gently.

“Agree to disagree?”

“Yeah, ok.” Davy chuckled. “Now, take us home. All that shopping tired me out.” He looked down at his curled hand, observing his nails. Peter smiled.

“Not too tired though, I hope.” Peter poked Davy’s side again with a wink. Davy looked confused for a half second before it clicked. He rolled his eyes and licked his lips.

“Just drive, you big weirdo.” He smacked his hand away playfully and sat back as Peter pulled the car out of the parking lot.

#Modern Series #Peter Tork #Davy Jones #Jork #jork one shot #The Monkees #The Monkees TV Show #my fanfiction #monkees

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addicted-to-dc · 7 years

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Damian Wayne/Robin X Reader- The Next Bruce Lee (Part 3)

The Next Bruce Lee, Part 2

Warning: Swearing, descriptions of injuries, etc

“Come on, Jason, are you really struggling here?!” Dick shouted, watching as you were pushing his hand to your side. “I can’t believe you’re going to lose to (Y/N).”

“Shut up,” Jason grunted, his voice strained.

You smirked, forcing your hand even further closer to the table. He let out a strained breath, barely managing to keep your hand from slamming his onto the table’s surface. Dick was cheering Jason on in the background, holding his phone to record the whole arm wrestling event.

“What the hell is going on?” a new voice asked, nearly making you lose your focus.

“This is Damian’s soulmate, Tim,” Dick explained to Tim. “She’s arm wrestling with Jason.”

“Why?” he asked, placing his coffee mug onto the counter.

“Ha!” you shouted, finally slamming Jason’s hand onto the table. “I hope I didn’t bruise your ego too much.”

“Fuck!” Jason groaned, laying his head onto the table. “I’m never going to hear the end of this.”

“I win!” you said happily, doing a little dance in your chair. “Here’s a lesson in life, never agree to arm wrestle an underground fighter.”

“I never thought I would see this in my lifetime,” Dick blurted in shock, ending the recording on his phone. “I can’t believe you beat Jason.”

“I’m already liking Demon Spawn’s soulmate,” Tim snorted, clutching his stomach while laughing. “I’m so glad I saw this in person.”

“I thought I told you to not kill my soulmate,” Damian stated while walking into the room, his father and Alfred by his side. “What happened?”

“(Y/N) beat Jason at an arm wrestling competition,” Dick explained, pointing over to the disgruntled Jason. “I have it on my phone if you want to see it.”

Damian rolled his eyes and sat down at the table, his father repeating his actions, “I have informed father of Black Mask’s presence at the fight. He wants your confirmation.”

You looked over to his father, “Sionis was at the fight, hell, he was providing the fighters with their winnings. I gotta ask, are you going to let me go so I can collect my winnings? Ten thousand dollars is ten thousand dollars.”

“We’ll see,” he replied, “but first you’re going to have to give us more information.”

“What’d you like to know?” you asked, leaning forward. “There’s not much to tell. The locations of the fights are fairly easy to find, there are rosters with the names of all of the fighters, and there’s someone who’s planning all of the fights. Why ask me when you can find someone else to tell you the information?”

“You’re the one who is going to provide us the information,” Bruce said, making you realize what he was saying.

“No,” you said, standing up, “I won’t do it. I’m not going to betray the only family I have had after I lost my parents. If you had killed Joker like any sane person would, this wouldn’t have happened. This is on you, not me.”

You quickly limped past Damian and his family, leaving them in the kitchen. As you were walking away, you could hear shouting come from the kitchen. When you reached the stairs, you tried to climb them, but your legs gave out before you could make it to the second step. Collapsing on the stairs, you felt the stitches on your leg rip open, making you grit your teeth. Refusing to allow yourself to stay here, you pulled yourself up, using most of your upper body strength instead of your legs to get up the stairs. Once you finally made it, you used the walls to stabilize yourself until you reached the room you woke up in. Grabbing the needle and surgical thread left on the table near the bed, you replaced your stitches as fast as you could. When you were finished, you looked around and found your shoes on the floor with new socks placed on top of them. You quickly shoved the socks and shoes on your feet, walking over to the window and opening it. Confirming that there was a roof below the window, you climbed out and landed on the roof. Climbing down, you were able to land safely on the ground without pulling any stitches.

Looking around, you searched for something you could use to escape until you found a red and black motorcycle. Limping to it, you were relieved to find the keys still in it. Without any hesitation, you straddled and started the motorcycle, speeding away from the manor and your soulmate.

---------------------------

“Pete!” you shouted, limping into the rundown apartment. “Pete, where are you?!”

“(Y/N)?” he asked, running up to you and pulling you into a hug. “What happened? Batman and Robin stormed in there, you were still in the ring while I-”

“I’m fine,” you interrupted him. “I escaped, ditched the motorcycle I used and walked over here. What am I going to do?”

“You were captured by them?” he asked worriedly.

“I told you, I escaped,” you said, wrapping your arms around him. “Pete, I- I found my soulmate.”

“Please don’t tell me it’s who I think it is,” Pete whispered, breaking the hug. “Please tell me it’s not Robin.”

You shook your head, “It’s him.”

Sucking in a breath, Pete turned away, biting his nail, “This is bad. This is so bad.”

“I know, Pete, but-”

“Black Mask wants ya,” Pete blurted, facing you. “After you went missin’, he contacted me and asked if you were interested in a job. (Y/N), he could provide you protection from Batman.”

“What did he offer?” you asked, too shocked to disagree.

“He just said that he was offerin’ a job,” he answered. “(Y/N), this could be the chance of a lifetime. Think of the money he would pay you. You could finally go to college, leave this all behind!”

“What would happen?” you asked, “I have worked so hard to keep my record clean, but if I work for him, would all of my hard work go to waste? I don’t want to throw that all away because of who my soulmate is.”

“(Y/N),” Pete said, cupping your face, “you don’t understand. Black Mask offered you a job, and he ain’t takin’ no for an answer.”

As if on cue, the apartment door smashed open, men in black armor rushing through the entrance. Your eyes widened, looking over to Pete, unable to say anything to him. Backing away from the men, you bumped into someone behind you, making you throw a fist. The man caught it and tsked.

“Is this how you treat your new employer?”

#Damian Wayne #older!damian #imagine damian wayne #damian wayne x reader #damian wayne imagine #robin #robin x reader #robin imagine #DC comcis #dc comics imagine #dc imagine #dc comics x reader

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thisdaynews · 4 years

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The United States of Anxiety

New Post has been published on https://thebiafrastar.com/the-united-states-of-anxiety/

The United States of Anxiety

Tim Alberta is chief political correspondent atPolitico Magazine.

Des Moines, Iowa

Dear Washington,Since our last correspondence, voting finally got underway in the Democratic primary for president. That term—voting—is used loosely in Iowa, the state with a nearly 50-year history of kicking off the presidential selection process. Rather than step into a private booth anytime during the day to cast a ballot for their preferred candidate, Iowans wait until dusk to gather in churches and libraries and high school gymnasiums all across the state and sort themselves into groups.

By now, you’re well aware just how spectacularly this ritual backfired. Iowa Democratic officials not only failed to transmit results on caucus night; they failed for more than a week to provide verified numbers to satisfy the simple question of who won the state. There’s still no official winner. This debacle probably sounded a death knell for Iowa’s place at the front of the line, and if so, well, good riddance. The truth is, an overwhelmingly white, rural state doesn’t reflect a slice of America the way it once did. Someplace else deserves a chance to pick presidents—or, at least, to sift the serious candidates from the jokers.

There is one thing I’ll miss about Iowa: the people.

Iowans take mighty seriously their charge of vetting potential leaders of the free world. In fact, you could argue they take ittooseriously: It’s not uncommon to encounter a caucus-goer who has seen each and every candidate in person, holding off on making a decision until—like a dairy farmer assessing a prize-winning heifer—they could assess the contenders in the flesh. The more time you spend in Iowa, the more you appreciate how the people here stay politically informed both as a point of communal relevance and civic duty.

Iowans are a great bunch to talk with if you want to understand what high-information voters think about the election, and the state of the country more generally. And among Iowans, I’ve found there’s an even more selective group that is hyper-informed about American politics: Uber drivers.

Don’t laugh. There’s a reason journalists love to share Twitter vignettes from backseats all across the country, and it’s not because we’re lazy. The drivers we encounter make up a fascinating cross-section of the electorate: young and old, blue collar and white collar, black and white and brown. One thing they have in common: They are cogs in a gig-employment machine that, more than most American industries, scrambles our notions of cultural, ideological and socioeconomic belonging. The other thing these people have in common is they spendlotsof time in their vehicles, which often translates intolotsof time listening to talk of current events, either by radio or podcast or conversation with their passengers.

If Uber drivers tend to be more politically informed than your average worker, Iowa’s Uber drivers are the most politically informed on Earth. Talk to enough of them and you’re liable to learn a lot about how people are living and how they’re voting—and why.

“Let me guess,”JOHN FISHERsaid as I climbed into his cherry red Chrysler 200. “You want to talk about the caucuses?”

Yup—and apparently, I wasn’t the only one.

With thousands of journalists, campaign staffers, volunteers, activists and curious onlookers descending on Des Moines, Fisher’s car had turned into something of a traveling panel show. He liked to let the guests make their pitch, on behalf of a candidate or maybe a specific policy proposal, before introducing a programming twist.

“Finally, I’ll say that I’m a Trump supporter, and it’s dead silence for a minute,” he said, laughing. “But then we just keep talking. They’re still very kind. So, I’m kind to them in return. They don’t get pushy or anything. When they leave, I always wish them and their candidates the best of luck.”

Fisher, a 66-year-old Des Moines native, started driving after he retired from the insurance industry in 2015. He likes the extra income; even more, he likes the experiences with new people. “I’ll listen to anybody. I’m not a right-winger. I’m barely a Republican. I just like Trump,” he said. “These Democrats, they’re really not doing themselves any favors with impeachment and the way they treat him. I just don’t understand it. Why drag our country through this?”

He paused. “Then again, I only watch Fox News, so maybe I’m only getting one side of things.”

I asked if there were any Democrats he could support. “Pete Buttigieg. I like that he’s young and energetic. And I like his supporters, too,” Fisher said. “I actually like Tulsi Gabbard, too, every time I hear from her. But then you have these old dogs— Sanders, Warren, Biden. They need to get out of the way.”

Fisher said that national security—particularly “the drugs and the violence coming across the border” with Mexico—has long been his priority at the ballot box. But there’s another concern that weighs on him more and more: the diverging economic fortunes of Americans based on where they live. “Right now things are very good in a place like Des Moines,” he says. “But the rural areas are drying up. The farms are being bought out by large corporations. The young kids are all moving to the cities. That’s a bad sign for the rest of the state.”

CASEY FORCEknows something about rural Iowa.

Raised in the town of Lovilia (population: 512), a speck of turf located 30 miles southwest of Oskaloosa, she felt the calling of the world. Force worked overseas as an international business consultant, first in Japan and then in Russia, unsure of whether she’d ever live in the U.S. again. It was only after a visit home for the holidays, and a chance encounter with her future husband, that Force returned to Iowa. But small-town life wasn’t an option. Now 40 years old, with two children, ages 2 and 7, Force works in special education at a high school in south Des Moines.

“And I drive six days a week,” she said. “Usually it’s just a handful of rides here and there, before school and once the kids are asleep at night. This paid for our last trip to Disney World. We’re going to take another one soon.”

Force voted for Hillary Clinton in the last general election. But she has never caucused before. This will be her first time—if she can work up the courage to participate. “I’m super intimidated by this whole thing,” she said.

The other hang-up: Force still hadn’t settled on a candidate. “I’ve just been listening. Last night, I had some Bernie Sanders volunteers; they offered me yard signs. The night before it was the Trump rally; I drove a lot of people from there. Then there was a girl I picked up from WalMart who was all emotional because she couldn’t decide who to caucus for. I’m really busy with work and family and everything, so I’ve been interested in hearing what everyone else thinks and why.”

Ultimately, Force said, she was leaning toward Buttigieg. But she’s prepared to vote for any Democrat who’s on the ballot in November. “I’m an educator, and we need money for our schools, and I just know we’re not going to get it without Democrats in power,” she said.

Force worries about her children and whether they’ll be able to afford college. She also worries about the low-income students at her school; two of them were recently lost to gun violence in a triple homicide that shook Des Moines. Above all, however, she worries about “the decision-making at the top” of the U.S. government.

“I still think back to that [Access Hollywood] tape, and how the reporter on the bus with him got fired and Trump became president,” Force said. “I think about the #MeToo movement. I think about the racial episodes. And it just seems—I thought we’d gotten somewhere as a country with Obama in office. I guess not.”

Behind the wheelof his grey Hyundai Sonata later that night,GEOFFREY O.sounds no less optimistic.

“I don’t believe in our politics anymore,” he says, shaking his head. “They are all lying to us. Like Andrew Yang – where is he getting that money from? And how much is he giving himself before I get my share? And Bernie Sanders, he talks about paying for everyone’s education—but how? Where is he getting that money from?”

Geoffrey, who was born in the U.S. but raised in Uganda, thought he was leaving dysfunctional and corrupt governance behind when he returned to America a few years ago to attend college. But that idealism has diminished. On one side, he says, he sees a Democratic Party that makes unrealistic promises. On the other side he sees Trump.

“I respect that he is the president. But he is detached from reality,” said Geoffrey. (He asked not to be identified by his last name because it’s not hard to find an African migrant in Iowa.) “Trump does not want immigrants in this country. But America a big place. It needs immigrants to help solve its problems. People are running away from their countries because they don’t want to die, and we don’t let them into this country? He is anti-immigrant, and the people surrounding him are anti-immigrant.”

Geoffrey holds out some hope that things will change, that people will become “exhausted” with the extremes and look for middle ground. But he’s not holding his breath. Rather than concern himself with politics he’s hard at work, driving his sedan eight to ten hours a day, all week long, hoping to make $150 each day to pay for his undergraduate degree.

Geoffrey longs for the notions of the idyllic America of his youth. But he worries this country is “no longer welcoming to people like me.” Moreover, he worries that it isn’t safe. “When I drive my Uber I just pray there are no shootings that happen,” he said. “That is my greatest prayer: I hope I don’t meet someone holding a gun.”

JOSEPH GAYhas his own concerns about the state of the country. But he has a unique solution: Make Trump the permanent president.

“I think Trump is the best thing that has come along in America in a long, long time,” said Gay, 68, as he steers his blue Ford Ecosport through the Des Moines suburbs. “And I think all the trouble they’re giving him, it’s just criminal. They said they were going to impeach him even before he took office. It’s just not right. He’s the only president I’ve ever seen keep his word, keep his promises.”

Gay’s own political evolution is recognizable: a Democrat until Ronald Reagan came along, then a conservative-leaning independent, and now, a full-fledged, no-turning-back MAGA enthusiast.

“You know, if it wasn’t for Trump, I might not even be a Republican anymore. The Republicans stopped caring about me a long time ago,” he said. “I wouldn’t vote for Democrats either. Honestly, I would just stop voting altogether. I really wish Trump could serve three terms—or even longer. Let him serve as long as he wants. The guy, he’s just—he’s an amazing person.”

Is there anything that Gay dislikes about the president?

“Oh, once in a while he says things that are goofy, and it’s like, ‘C’mon Donald, you didn’t need to say that,’” Gay chuckled. “But I do like his sense of humor. ThePocahontasthing, that was funny. Childish, maybe. But still funny.”

The thing is, Gay explained, he doesn’t have time to waste being offended. There are more immediate problems. Having worked odd jobs most of his life—mostly involving construction and delivery—Gay has no pension, no savings, no nest-egg for retirement. He drives for Uber three days a week and trades shifts with his wife, who drives the same car another three days a week. They do this to supplement their Social Security, which isn’t enough to cover the cost of living. “I could have made better choices to where I had a better job and more income to retire with. But this is where we’re at,” he said. “Uber works pretty well for us, even though I don’t think they should take as much of a cut as they do.”

Gay’s biggest concern for himself and his wife is getting sick. “We don’t have a retirement thing, and medicine is expensive, so money would get pretty tight,” he said. “I’ve got some things I could probably sell. But still.”

And the biggest concern he has for America? “The Democratic Party. The socialism,” he said. “I can’t tell you a single one I’d vote for anymore. They’re all socialists now. It’s dangerous.”

She’s two decades from retirement age,butANGELA GOLDBERGis driving the Uber because she doesn’t want to wind up like Gay.

A 45-year-old mother of four, Golberg has a part-time marketing job that keeps her busy anywhere from 15 to 25 hours a week. But it’s not nearly enough. Not with three of her kids attending college. Not with this economy so unstable for people, like her, who don’t have advanced degrees. Not with the endless political disruption and all that it could entail.

“I’m nervous about Social Security. They keep talking about it as an ‘entitlement,’ but it’s not an entitlement. Ever since I was the age of 16, and you’re old enough to get your job at McDonald’s, I’ve been paying taxes into Social Security. And now they’re trying to claim it’s an entitlement,” she said.

To fortify her family’s income, and to add some cushion to her and her husband’s retirement plan, Golberg started driving for Uber. “In this area, I’ll be lucky to make $100 to $150 on Friday nights. Saturdays, I’ll be lucky to make about $250 if there’s a lot going on at night,” she explained. “But I’ve already hit $1,000 for this weekend, starting Thursday night, because Trump was here. This has been a wonderful few days.”

Golberg was glad to see the president come to town, even as she wrestles with her decision to vote for him in 2016.

“I liked him, I liked his track record, so I voted for him,” she said. “But I can tell you I don’t like his behavior and the way he goes about things. He’s lacking in social graces, I guess would be the best way to say it. And he is a bully.”

Golberg said she’s leaning toward voting for a Democrat in 2020, but wouldn’t be participating in the caucuses. (“I don’t really know how it works.”) As for who that Democrat might be, she’s got no idea. Joe Biden “just tries to take credit for being Barack Obama’s vice president, but that was Obama making the decisions.” Elizabeth Warren “I’m not quite sure about—not sure she can beat Trump.”

She seemed most taken with Buttigieg. “I think Pete would have a real chance. He talks about what he believes in, what his plans are, how he’s going to do it, whether or not it’s accomplishable. I like him,” she said. “And he doesn’t slam anyone. I don’t like when the candidates slam one another. It’s really distasteful. Let Trump do that.”

CRAIG CARTERknows he shouldn’t laugh. But he just can’t help himself.

“This guy, the president,” Carter said, “He entertains the old farmer in me.”

While cruising through West Des Moines in a black Ford Escape, Carter, 70, described the moment three years ago when he knew Uber was right for him. After running a successful asphalt paving business for many years, he had finally retired—only to find his wife annoyed at his constant presence around the house.

“The night I decided to become an Uber driver, my wife was looking at me in that sweet, Christian way of hers,” he said. “She told me she never thought I’d live this long – it was clear I needed to get out of the house and do something to leave her alone and prolong our marital bliss of 48 years. So I did.”

These days, Carter said, two things provide his “comic relief”: Uber rides and Donald Trump. Sometimes they overlap.

“Oh, I’ve had a whole lot of caucus rides lately. Everyone wants to talk about The Donald,” Carter said. “I had a worker for Biden, like a month ago, and he wouldn’t stop talking. So, I warned him, ‘Here in the Midwest we don’t talk about politics, sex or religion.’ And he tapped me on the shoulder and said, ‘For the next month, you’re going to get a pass on the politics.’ Man, was he ever right.”

Carter said he’s glad to have civilized political conversations with strangers in the car—because he can’t have them at home anymore.

“My wife’s a Democrat, and we both woke up on Election Day with that McCauley Culkin look”—he slaps his cheeks—“ahhhh!” We couldn’t believe that he won. But you know, that shock faded for me. Not her. She still has that look every morning. Like she’s out for blood. … She bought herself a shirt, a pink shirt, with a little kitten holding an M-16 military rifle, and it says, ‘Grab this pussy, asshole.’ I’m serious.”

All humor aside, Carter said Trump’s crude nature has begun to wear on him—so much so that, after a lifetime of voting for Republicans, he’s open to voting for the Democratic nominee in 2020. The only catch?

“It’s gotta be Bernie,” Carter said, grinning. “Maybe he’s a socialist, I don’t know. I don’t want to put that label on him. But the truth is, I see myself in him. And he might be the man to do something near and dear to my heart: legalizing marijuana.”

That pipe dream aside, Carter said he’s coming around to Sanders’s trademark proposal: Medicare for All. When I asked what issue concerns him most, Carter pulled out his iPhone, opened up his photos, and toggled between two screenshots. They were taken from his account on the Walgreens pharmacy app. The first shot showed how much his heart medication cost with insurance: $2.18. The second showed the cost without insurance: $249.00.

“Seriously now,” he said. “When I see that, I just think to myself, how are we doing this to people?”

I met too many fascinatingIowa Uber drivers to recount: the old rich chap who drives for charity and gives cash tips to passengers down on their luck; the Malaysian immigrant who needs to push his dying Chevy 10 more months to have enough money saved to open his long-dreamed-about Asian market; the guy who placed strict no-political-talk rules on relationships with his closest friends, including a next-door-neighbor, in order to preserve relationships.

I didn’t meet any Trump voters who were resolved to abandon the GOP this November. Nor did I meet any Democrats who threatened to sit out the election if a certain candidate—say, Bernie Sanders—wins the nomination. Partisans were, pretty reliably,partisan. There were no dramatic, road-to-Damascus resolutions to be witnessed on the streets of Des Moines. Despite unprecedented political disruption, people are preparing for some variation of the same binary choice they’ve been making their entire adult lives.

The prevailing sentiment among the people with a front-row seat to the greatest political show on Earth was discomfort. Something isn’t right in our country—that much came across, unsolicited, in every conversation with every person of every possible political persuasion. This continues to be the most obvious and contradictory feeling of union in America circa 2020: Despite living in a time of nearly unrivaled peace and prosperity, the one thing that unites us is that nobody feels very good about it.

It’s time to move on from Iowa. There are so many more stories to tell.

If you’ve got places you think I should visit, people you think I should meet, drop me a line: [email protected]

Your old friend,

Tim

#Anxiety #Foreign #Politics #states

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ask-the-phan-site · 4 years

Text

Phan Cam: School Festival Day 1 of 2

WARNING: MAY CONTAIN PERSONA 5 ROYAL SPOILERS. PLUS, THE CHARACTERS MAY OR MAY NOT ALREADY KNOW WHAT HAPPENED IN THE GAME. ALSO IT CAN GET A BIT LONG.

>October 26

(please ignore the timestamp)

Furuhonya: ... WHAT!? I came home early from an expedition to recover some lost scrolls in India so I can finally attend a School Culture Festival only to end up at the WRONG SCHOOL!?

>He notices several people watching him. So, Furuhonya calms himself.

Furuhonya: Right, I came back to attend a School Festival and that’s exactly what I’m going to do. Even if this isn’t Joutou Business High School. Alright, get ready...

>He checks the plaque.

Furuhonya: (puzzled) Shujin Academy? Why does that name sound so familiar? ... Well, never mind. Here I come!

>With that, Furuhonya goes inside. The moment he enters the front doors...

Welcome to the Shujin Academy School Culture Festival!

Furuhonya: (surprised) A- Akechi!?

Furuhonya san!?

Furuhonya: (realizing now) Oh, now I remember! Your friends go to this school.

Crow: That’s right. What brings you here?

Furuhonya: I came back early to attend Yushi’s School Festival. But I guess I went to the wrong one. But I’ve decided, this will have to do.

Oracle: That’s good... I guess.

Furuhonya: By the way, why are you, Yusuke kun and Makoto chan doing here? Don’t you go to Kosei and you graduated?

Fox: Our Culture Festival is in joint with Shujin this year.

Queen: And me, Akechi, and Haru are volunteering to help. And who better to help at the Shujin Festival than the former student council president?

Furuhonya: Very well. Can’t wait to see what’s in store here.

>Furuhonya walks forward... Only to be stopped by Oracle.

Not dressed like that.

Furuhonya: (disappointed) But Antiquary sold it to me. It looks good on, doesn’t it?

Joker: It does. But...

It also makes you look like a demented pervert.

Furuhonya: (sighs in defeat) Fine. I brought my regular clothes, so I’ll go back to the station and change in the bathrooms.

>One quick change later.

Welp, it was fun while it lasted.

Crow: Maybe tomorrow. We have a cosplay contest.

Furuhonya: (happily) Yes. So, what do we have here? Got any recommendations?

Joker: Right now, I guess we can have you go to 2-D’s maid takoyaki booth.

Furuhonya: That sounds great. I wonder what it will be like.

>Class 2-D’s maid takoyaki booth.

Welcome to Maid Takoyaki. How may I be of service?

Obnoxious Male Student: Wow, Takamaki really is smoking hot in that maid outfit.

Rude Male Student: Yeah. Hey now that Kamoshida isn’t around, think you can hang out with us before you go home for the day? I know I nice little club in Shinjuku we can go to.

Jealous Female Student: Excuse me, I’m your girlfriend and I’m standing right here!

You know, if you’re not going to order anything: LEAVE!

Obnoxious Male Student: Okay, okay, we were just kidding. I’ll have some kimichi.

Jealous Female Student: And we’ll have curry and cheese.

Panther: ...

That’ll be ¥500 each.

Rude Male Student: That’s a rip... (in defeat) Fine.

>With that, the students take their seats. Then, we arrive.

Joker: Hey, Ann.

Panther: Hey, Ren. You guys. Wow, even Bookstore?

Furuhonya: I usually go by Furuhonya, but I guess that makes sense. Hey, where are the others?

Panther: Mona (which we will be calling him even in his human form since Persona 5 Royal) and Mishima are helping at the crafting booth, Haru is helping the gardening club, and Ryuji’s doing something with some other students for an event tomorrow.

Furuhonya: And Ka- I mean, Sumire?

Queen: She’s helping her father so she’ll be running late.

Furuhonya: I see.

Panther: Anyway, what would you like to try?

Heed my advice, don’t eat the Russian Takoyaki.

Furuhonya: Alright. Do you have long green onion?

Panther: We’re all out.

Furuhonya: Tanuki?

Panther: We’ll see. Take a seat.

>With that, Panther goes to get the takoyaki while we take Furuhonya to a table. We spot Makoto, Adi, Chloe, Bruno, Princess Crystal of the Inhumans, and Kei Kawade (aka Kid Kaiju).

Hey, guys! We’re over here!

>We go over to them.

Makoto: Taking a break?

Joker: For now. We have to return to the entrance to greet the people coming in.

Oracle: And I’ve gotta say, it’s way harder than it looks.

I guess it would be painful to smile all the time.

>With that, we return to our posts.

You’re the bookworm who lives in the same apartments as Akechi, aren’t you?

Furuhonya: I usually go by Furuhonya, but yes.

I’m also told that you go around the world collecting old, rare, ... unique books and scriptures.

Furuhonya: You could say that. I came back early after recovering some old scrolls that may have been in the possession of the great monk Sanzo during his pilgrimage to India.

Adi: (a bit worried) You didn’t bring them here, did you?

Furuhonya: No, I dropped them off at the apartments for now. Right now, I’m just glad to be here to attend a School Festival. The last two times didn’t work out so well.

So you’re hoping third time’s a charm.

Furuhonya: There’s no guarantee for that. It’s much easier to make your own luck.

Bruno: I agree. Nothing’s accomplished by chance. You have to take things into your own hands to get what you want in this world.

Furuhonya: Speaking of worlds, what bring Her Highness from the moon back to Earth?

I’m actually here on official royal business. I was invited to be the guest speaker here at Shujin. Since Inhumans have been reappearing in Japan, and made it especially known at the Dream Festival, I thought I would also offer them a place with us in Atyran. Of course, it has to be of their own choice.

Makoto: Glad you remember that.

Kei: What about me? In case you’ve forgot, I’m also an Inhuman.

Princess Crystal: Well, we were going to ask you, but it looked like you really enjoyed being on Mu Island with all your kaiju.

Makoto: I wish I could go to Mu... But the bugs make it a little... Difficult. (shudders)

Kei: (smiling) They’re not so bad once you get to know them. Besides, I would have thought a Future Avenger as brave as you would handle a few insects.

Makoto: (also smiling a bit) I guess... I guess I can come over... Especially if you’re there.

>Both boys smiled passionately at each other.

Male Student in Spectacles: Hey, are Hurricane and Kid Kaiju actually looking at each other like that?

Student in Maid Uniform: I wonder if this means they’re a thing now.

If they are, it’s not really any of your business.

Makoto: ... I actually doesn’t matter. I like a lot of people... I guess I just like Kei a little more... Maybe more than like.

Kei: Yeah, I feel the same way... At least in this universe. Sorry, Bruno.

Bruno: It’s alright. I know that me and Makoto will always be brothers.

Makoto: (smiling) You bet.

>The two brothers do a fist bump. Then, Panther gives them the takoyaki.

Panther: You’re in luck, this is the last batch of tanuki. I also brought some Italian special.

Adi: Thank you.

Furuhonya: Yes, thank you.

Panther: Actually, speaking of Inhumans, I thought Kamala would be here.

Chloe: She’s helping her pen pal with her own School Festival. But she said he will join us tomorrow.

Panther: I see.

Kei: Right, that reminds me. I’m also here on business. Since Makoto and the others were already coming, I tagged along.

Panther: What kind of business?

Kei: Well... With you and your friends. I’ll explain more after you get off. We’ll be waiting at the karaoke place in Shibuya.

Panther: Really? Actually...

We were going there for business already. I guess we can try and make it there.

Kei: That’s good to hear. Thanks.

Student in Maid Uniform: Hey, Takamaki chan, we’ve got a table waiting!

Panther: I’m coming! Well, see you guys soon.

Makoto: You bet.

>Back at the entrance, me, Fox, Queen, Oracle, and Crow were greeting people coming in when we spot Violet and her father coming in.

Here we are.

Yes, it really looks quite the sight, Sumire.

Joker: Welcome to the Shujin Festival, Mr. Yoshizawa.

Mr. Yoshizawa: Thank you, Ren san. I can’t wait to see what they have in store here. And what Sumire’s class is doing.

Violet: (a little disappointed) A rest area.

Mr. Yoshizawa: (apologetic) Sorry.

Violet: Though, I hear some of the sports clubs are doing a Q&A about what it would be like to be part of the upcoming 2020 Olympics. Especially do to the release of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.

Mr. Yoshizawa: I guess we can do that. You know, your old man here could have been in the Olympics. Especially in rugby sevens.

Violet: (laughing a bit) I bet.

Oracle: But if that doesn’t interest you, my class is doing a live performance of an episode of Phoenix Ranger Featherman.

Fox: Actually students from my school and Todai are also doing the same things with Kamen Rider Zi-O.

Queen: They’re doing it in honor of the airing of Kamen Rider Zero-One.

Not sure why you want to watch that. Everyone knows Kamen Riders is just a ripoff.

Just give it a try and I’m sure you’ll love it just as much as Featherman.

Oracle: (not convinced) We’ll see.

>An unused room in the Practice Building. Skull and some of his fellow students were practicing for the dance party tomorrow.

Leader Student: Okay, that’s it for today. Get ready, tomorrow’s the big day.

Students: Yes, senpai!

Tired Male Student: With Sakamoto here, tomorrow’s gonna be killer. How often does an idol get to perform here.

C’mon, it ain’t nothin’ to be too excited about. Just doin’ my part for my school.

>Later, after getting changed, Skull is met by a familiar face.

I see celebrity life is treating you better than over.

Well, it’s partly thanks to you. I never would have made it if it weren’t for you and the others.

Harry: (smiling) Glad to hear it. (stops smiling) But let’s be serious, you know why I’ve come here.

Skull: (also being serious) I know...

But you don’t know if you might actually do it. You care about Pete too much to do anything bad to him.

Harry: I know. But what if you’re wrong? I thought I was finally over my fath- Norman’s influence, but I’m still not sure.

Skull: I doubt it. Me and Akechi were there.

>Flashback.

>August 31. Oscorp Tower. In his brand new office, Harry was looking at a picture of his father, Norman Osborn. Then, someone calls on the speaker phone.

Caller: Mr. Osborn? Sir? ... Sir!?

Harry: (surprised) Huh!? Oh, I’m sorry. I, uh- I still think of Norman when I hear that. Call me Harry.

Caller: You have some visitors to see you.

Harry: Is one wearing a hoodie, the second with dyed blonde hair, and the third wearing a tie?

Caller: Yes?

Harry: Send them in.

>Then, Peter, Skull, and Crow come in.

Hey, Harry. I brought, some coffee and muffins from Joe’s.

Harry: (happy to see them) Thanks. And I’m also glad to see you guys before you have to go home.

C’mon, man, you know we’d never leave without sayn’ “See ya.”

And to wish you luck on your first day as CEO.

Harry: Again, thanks... (starts to look down)

Peter: I something wrong?

Harry: I’m just... I’m just still getting used to all of this. I know I’ve been studying enough to get ready and yet... And yet it just hasn’t occurred to me yet.

Crow: You’re just nervous. Give it time.

Harry: I wish it was just nerves. But it feels more than that.

Skull: Harry, it’s okay, you can tell us anythin’.

Harry: It’s just, with everything that’s happening now. I’m just still not sure I can do this. It’s just so overwhelming. I know I’m over 18, but I’m still just a kid at heart... I’m scared, you guys. And I... And I...

Peter: (reassuring) It’s alright, Harry... Say it..

Harry: ... I... I miss my father. I know that he lost the right to be called that, still I miss him. I miss him so much, and yet in some ways, I feel like I never even knew him. And now I’m expected to take over his position. It’s enough to make a person’s head spin.

>Both Skull and Crow were at a lost for word... But Peter clearly wasn’t.

Peter: Well, speaking scientifically, the best way to fight dizziness... is to focus on the thing in front of you. I know you can do this, Harry. You’re one of the smartest and most bravest people I know.

Skull: We all think so. No, we all know so. Especially me, are minds are linked after all.

Crow: And if you ever feel like falling from that dizziness, you can always count on your friends to catch you.

Peter: He’s right. We’ll always be here for you, Harry... I will always be here for you.

>Harry was silent for a bit... Then smiles.

Harry: More than a friend. For being the best thing that has ever happened in my life... I love you, Peter Parker.

Peter: And I love you, Harry.

>The two young men share a passionate kiss.

Crow: (happy) It’s so nice to see those two expressing how they truly feel about each other.

Skull: (also happy) It sure is... Hey, I just realized somethin’.

Crow: What is it?

Skull: Well, if those two are boyfriends, and our minds are linked to ours...

Would that mean you and I will be... that with each other?

Crow: I don’t know...

Would you like us to be?

Skull: ...

Let’s wait until we get there and see what happens...

Still, I’m happy that we’re on the same team. And you’re a really good friend. A great friend.

I’m happy, too. Thank you.

>Then, something spoke in their minds.

Yes, just as your minds are one... Your hearts are one.

One with the light that shines justice in this world...

One with the dark that hides many secrets...

>Then, Robin Hood and Loki come together in a burst of light...

One with the dawn and twilight that guide the world to its future.

>Both Skull and Crow smile happily knowing that... They are in the future and it’s bright.

>Then, a message comes on Crow’s phone.

Crow: That would be our Uber to take us to the airport.

Peter: And I should be at F.E.A.S.T. to help Aunt May. See you around?

Harry: (winks) You bet.

>With that, they leave and Harry sits himself at his desk. Then, something come up on the speaker phone. Harry plays the message... and is shocked.

Familiar voice: Congratulations, Harry.

Harry: (shocked) What!?

Norman’s voice: You’re finally in a position of power. You won’t be in my shadow anymore, son. I know you’ll do great things with the Osborn name.

>Suddenly, a nearby painting opens to show a vault. Harry goes to it... It opens.

>Back in the present...

Skull: Harry?

Harry: (snapping out of his daze) Huh? Sorry. I guess... I guess I’m just tired. I’ve been working non-stop while Doctor Octopus was in Pete’s body. Being both a CEO and a superhero.

Skull: I see that.

Harry: Still, I just have this bad feeling. That’s why I’ve come here. In case something happens and I might do something bad to Pete... I think only you, Akechi, Ren, and the other Phantom Thieves can stop me.

Don’t be like that! You know you won’t betray Peter.

Harry: I know. But promise me that you guys will stop me if that does happen. Promise. Just prome. (begins tearing up)

Skull: ... Alright.

For you, we’ll see what we can.

Harry: (relieved) Thank you. I promise, we will have our happily ever after.

Just promise you guys will be here for the Fight Before Christmas and we’ll call it even.

Harry: Don’t worry. We’ll be there.

>Skull and Harry make their way to the courtyard. Harry then removes his suit.

Your Hobgoblin Suit?

Harry: (smiling a bit) Like I said, there are a lot of expectations in being the head of a corporation. But I haven’t fully given up on Stealth Spider. I’ll take up that suit and use my spider powers again someday. Maybe even soon. Actually, I made one for you, too. I would have given this to you for your birthday or Dream FES, but I got a little preoccupied working on my own.

>Harry give Skull a Hobgoblin 2.0 Suit Costume.

Skull: Thanks.

Harry: I really do appreciate you doing this for me. Consider this my payment for what you and the others have to do.

Skull: And if not, I’m sure Peter can help. You’re clearly not a bad guy who will end up like all those others he had to face.

>Harry chuckles and smiles.

Harry: That, Ryuji, is why Peter is someone I really care about. He never gives up on me. I’m not an Osborn to him, or a Lyman, or a hero, or anything else... To him, I’m just “Harry”.

>Both of them smile as Harry gets on his glider.

Harry: By the way... Your Japanese really is questionable at best.

Yeah, and so is your English.

>With that, Harry gives a thumbs up and takes off on his glider. Some students noticed this and started talking.

Cap-wearing Male Student: Was that Harry Osborn? As the Hobgoblin again? Here at Shujin?

Student in Pigtails: Yeah, he’s friends with Sakamoto. They even went to Osborn Academy together.

Female Student in School Jersey: Speaking of goblins, I read online that some cult is raising in New York called the Goblin Nation.

Male Student in School Jersey: Now that Osborn’s Hobgoblin again, you think he might join?

Student in Pigtails: (scared) What if he already did? What if he’s already one of them?

Of course he’s NOT! Why would ya think that!?

Cap-wearing Male Student: (surprised) Sorry, Sakamoto, we didn’t really mean any harm.

Male Student in School Jersey: Yeah. C’mon, let’s go. If we hurry, we can catching ending of the movie they’re showing at the AV Club.

>With that, they leave.

Skull: (thinking to himself) Those guys don’t know anythin' about him. All they see is what they wanna to see. Harry is a good guy. And I’ll always believe in him.

>Then, a message comes on Skull’s phone. He checks it.

Hey Ryuji, we’re done for today. We’re all going to be meeting at the karaoke place in Shibuya. Makoto, Kei, Bruno, Adi, and Chloe will be joining us.

Right. I’ll be there soon. There’s somethin’ I should tell you all.

Okay. See you.

>With that, Skull leaves to meet us.

>Central Street, Shibuya at night. We arrive in front of Paradise Resort Karaoke. (Sorry if we got the name wrong.) Makoto and the others were with us.

Excuse me, we’re looking for...

Black n’ Blue Birdie?

Receptionist: (snickers a bit) That would be Room 7.

Adi: (puzzled) What kind of name is that?

I guess we’ll soon find out. Though, I have an idea.

>We go over to Room 7. When we open the door... We’re met with a blast of music.

Baby, take me on a journey, I've been thinkin' lately I could use a little time alone with you

You guys?

Hey guy, long time no see!

Garfield, Dick, Barbara, and Kaldur? And some new guys?

I am known as Wyynde. Like Kaldur, I am from Atlantis.

And I’m Victor Stone. Call me Cyborg.

(ceasing his singing) Glad you guys can come. I know you’re all busy with your school’s Culture Festival.

Makoto: (surprised) You guys are from the Team, aren’t you? Young Justice?

I’m honored to hear that the Future Avengers know about us.

Chloe: Normally, we deal with Marvel heroes, but DC isn’t unknown to us.

Adi: But that doesn’t explain how you know these guys.

Queen: We helped Nightwing with a heist two years ago.

Garfield: And three years ago, we helped save a game show.

Adi: I see.

Joker: By the way, how is the Kryptonite Dagger?

Dick: Still under lock and key... But we might give it back to you if you consider my offer.

Sorry, our answer remains unchanged.

What offer?

Queen: Dick san, or rather, Nightwing , offered us a place on the Team. Of course, we turned him down.

Violet: I see.

But that is not why we’re here now.

Fox: What is the problem?

Dick: I know it’s going to sound strange, but...Kaldur and Wyynde been having these weird...

Dreams?

Dick: (surprised) How did you know?

Crow: We’ve had experience with Peter Parker and Harry Osborn.

Barbara: I see. Actually... Wyynde’s been dreaming about Peter Parker, as well as of you.

Of me?

Wyynde: I have actually also been having dreams of a flamboyant robot, a pair of twins, and a blond gunman. I think I have also had one of some false singer and Tuxedo Mask.

Crow: Along with a snake boy and a scarred faced man?

Wyynde: (nodding) And then, around the same time as you fell into your coma and Spider-Man started acting strange, I started feeling weak. Like... Something in my heart did not feel right.

Crow: I felt the same way when I fell.

Garfield: (a little worried) Wait up! You’re saying that there was a chance Wyynde could have gone into coma, too!?

Dick: (reassuring) I’m sure that won’t happen anytime soon.

Queen: And what about you, Kaldur san? You also have dreams of being another, don’t you?

Kaldur: Yes. Two of them, I already know well.

Cyborg: They’re actually a couple of versions of me.

Oracle: You mean two versions of the Teen Titans?

Kaldur: The same. There was also a mandrill, a wizard with a tattooed face, a four-armed alien, a robotic dinosaur, a man who can change his face, even, who I can only guess looks like Killer Croc. But the one that sticks out the most is... A young man with dreadlocks, wearing a headband, and...

Kei: Wielding blades made of plasma energy.

Kaldur: (a bit surprised) Y- Yes. How did you know?

Makoto: Are you also having dreams, Kei?

Kei: Well, I do have the occasional Adrien Agreste and Cat Noir dreams. Also had some of a half-demon boy with a sword, a young Chinese man, another young man who lives around here, mostly Ikebukuro, another young man who was trapped in a video game, a strong blonde boy, a young man who can change into a giant, a cat thief, another demon, a red-haired young man, one of the teachers at Shujin, a young man with different colored hair, a boy who can turn into a robot, and, most weird of all... A silver hedgehog. But none of them have ever been a problem and are unrelated to Kaldur’s dream... But I do know someone here in Japan who has dreams that might be related.

Kaldur: Really? Who?

>Suddenly, the phone on the wall rings.

Kei: I guess you’ll find out. (answers phone) Hello? ... Does he have some big guy in a black coat? ... Yup, that’s him. Send him in. Thanks. (hangs up) During the many times I had to move because of my kaiju, I met someone here in Japan. He’s actually the leader of the one the superhero teams here.

Makoto: (a bit excited) Which one?

>Then, there was a knock on the door. Kei goes up and answers it... Two people come in.

Kei: Glad you can make it.

Sorry I took so long. My hands were tied with the Culture Festival.

...

Makoto: (shocked) These guys are superheroes?

Boy in Glasses: (smiling a bit) Don’t judge a book by its cover. I’m Hiro. Hiro Takachiho. And this is my associate, Baymax.

Baymax: ... Hi.

Kei: Hiro has been having dreams that sound similar to Kaldur’s.

Kaldur: You know something?

Hiro: The man that you’ve been dreaming about... He’s called Wasabi. That’s not his real name, though. They call him that because he spilled wasabi on his shirt one time.

Kei: I wanted to tell you guys because Hiro is uncomfortable with that dream.

Joker: How so?

Hiro: Well for starters... The guy I am in the dream is also named Hiro. Hiro Hamada.

Kaldur: Hiro Hamada?

Hiro: (irritated) I know. That’s the stupidest last name I’ve ever heard. And here they say my last name isn’t realistic.

Barbara: But I’m guessing that’s not what disturbs you about the dream.

Hiro: (groaning) It just makes me sick that that hero is such a goodie goodie. I may be a hero, but even I am not above doing things that may not seem right. No matter what.

Makoto: Are you serious?

Bruno: It’s the hardest thing any hero can do. Doing something wrong for the right reasons. No matter what it takes. I know this. (begins looking down)

Makoto: (puts a reassuring hand on Bruno’s shoulder) But now, things are different.

Bruno: (smiles in relief) I know.

Joker: But, why would you think to come to us for this? What do you want us to do about it?

Kaldur: Well, this Wasabi and that Hiro... I think they are in trouble.

What kind of trouble?

Kaldur: I... I do not know.

Hiro: But I think I do.

Kaldur: Then tell us.

Hiro: Well, in their hometown, San Fransokyo, there’s this police chief, Diego Cruz, who’s giving that world’s Big Hero 6 a hard time. Especially since a villain called “Hardlight” is loose in the city.

Skull: So this chief doesn’t like superheroes?

Great, Spider-Man has J. Jonah Jameson, Ben Tennyson has Will Harangue, Young Justice has G. Gordon Godfrey, now Big Hero 6 has this Diego Cruz.

Noir: But at least Chief Cruz has no power in the media. So he can’t fully turn everyone against them.

Kaldur: But it is only a matter of time before he does. I can see that Big Hero 6 has a lot to contribute to their city. They have already done so much and this man seeks to undo it.

Joker: What do you want us to do about it?

Hiro: Well... You’re the Phantom Thieves. Just do what you do best.

You know who we are?

Hiro: Well, considering that I’m in the company of a guy who was put on probation for a crime he didn’t commit, an athlete who lost everything because of an idiot PE teacher, a girl who was being chased by the same teacher, the former apprentice of a disgraced artist, the younger sister of a prosecutor involved in the Phantom Thieves case along with the Detective Prince, the daughter of a scientist involved in the research of psychotic breakdowns and mental shutdowns in which the Phantom Thieves were accused of, the daughter of a CEO who died from a mental shutdown, and a mysterious guy with no last name and just one that sounds like woman’s name, it’s not exactly hard to put it all together.

Makoto: (worried) Are you going to tell on them?

Hiro: No way, I’m part of the Phandom. I support them.

Baymax: If Master Hiro supports them, so do I.

Adi: Well, that’s good to hear.

Hiro: Besides, I think I might need your help, too.

Adi: What do you mean?

Hiro: Our own Wasabi No-Ginger is having dreams of that Wasabi, too. If something happens, even I don’t know what will happen to us.

Crow: So you’re asking us to steal Chief Cruz’s heart so he can leave Big Hero 6 be?

Kaldur: If you can, yes.

Garfield: We’ll even reward you for it.

Joker: With what?

Dick: Well, for starters, we won’t bust you for that poll you brought up in September.

Oracle: You’ll have to speak to Nishima for that.

Dick: But also, we might be able to help to make sure that what happened to Akechi won’t happen to him or anyone else with a connection again. Without anyone losing their memories.

Violet: How did you know about that?

Dick: (smirking) The nurses know everything.

Violet: (shocked) Yikes! ... I wonder if I should be a nurse, too.

Dick: Don’t give up your dream of gymnastics just yet.

Joker: Even if what you say is true, how do you intend to make it so?

Barbara: It’s still a working progress. But we should be able to have it done before spring.

Crow: I hope so. I get this bad feeling that something bad is going to happen when spring comes. Almost... Venomous.

Barbara: Don’t worry, we will.

Dick: So, will you do it? For us?

>I’m silent for a moment. Then, I give my answer...

We’ll think about it. Right now, we already have quite the number of requests to handle.

Dick: Alright, we’ll wait. The offer will stand... Along with joining the Team. In the meantime, there’s still some time for one more song.

Cyborg: I already picked it. I think you’ll all love it.

Joker: I’m afraid we have to leave, we have to get ready for the last day of the festival tomorrow.

Makoto: And we have to be heading back to the Wilton to meet with Tony.

Cyborg: Your funeral. (getting excited) Here it is! My favorite song of all time.

youtube

Garfield: (unhappy) Seriously!? I knew I should have picked the last song... Fade Away is way better.

Kaldur: Actually... I kind of like this song... I love it, actually.

Cyborg: (happy) See? I knew you had a bit of myself in you!

>The Team laughs as Cyborg and Kaldur sing and the rest of us leave.

>My room in Leblanc. Me and Mona (now returned to cat form out of respect for me) were just about to lie down for the night when I get a message on my phone.

Who’s contacting us at this time?

>I check.

Ren san, you have to check the school’s channel.

What’s wrong?

You’ll see. Just check it.

>So, I checked the school website. A dark image was streaming live.

????: Attention students of Shujin Academy. As most of you do no know, I am your principal. I have been hidden for a while, but now the time has come to reveal myself. I was called in to fill in this position after my predecessor, Keiji Kobayakawa, died. However, I would only have the position for a year since I come from overseas. It was to be a trial to see if someone from another country can safely run a Japanese school. Now, the time has come to see the result.

>Then, the lights turn on to show the principal’s face.

I hope that for the remainder of this school year, we would know each other quite well. I also have another announcement... But I shall wait until the end of this year’s Culture Festival to say it. Until then, pleasant dreams.

>The broadcast ends and I return to the chat.

That was Owen Burnett, he used to be the personal assistant to David Xanatos of Xanatos Enterprises before announcing his retirement last year and passing the company to his son.

He’s our principal? What’s going on here?

I’ve already spoken with the current student council president. He said we will speak to him soon enough to grasp the situation. For now, we should get some rest. We’ll tell the others in the morning. Good night.

Good night.

>We end the chat.

Mona: Let’s got some sleep. We should have our answers soon.

Joker: Right. Good night.

>With that, we go to bed.

>To be continued on the last day.

#phantom thieves cam

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lewishamledger · 4 years

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Fancy that

WORDS BY NIKKI SPENCER; PHOTO BY LIMA CHARLIE

Karen Dawson has been at the helm of Harlequin fancy dress shop on Lee High Road for 28 years – and still wakes up every morning looking forward to coming to work.

“I’ve always loved fancy dress and you just can’t be miserable working in a fancy dress shop”, she says as we sit and chat in her treasure trove of a space, located in a small parade of shops between Lewisham and Lee Green.

“The thing about this business is that the people who come in are usually happy, because they are going somewhere special or celebrating something special. Of course, you do get the occasional person who hates fancy dress, but mostly everyone loves it.

“There is nothing nicer than when someone closes the changing room curtain and you hear them laughing as they are trying something on”, she adds. “Sometimes they are in absolute fits.”

And no day is ever the same. While we’re chatting Karen takes a phone call from someone who’s after a Batman Joker outfit for a party, the vet from across the road pops in with his daughter so she can choose a helium balloon for her mum’s birthday, and a guy in his 40s spends ages reminiscing about coming to the shop as a teenager to buy pranks to play on his gran, before leaving with a mullet wig and a fake parking ticket.

Karen loves the local community of small shops on Lee High Road, many of whom, like her, have been around for decades.

“There’s Billy Vee Sound Systems and Westcombes fireplaces and we all know and support each other, maybe more so than if we were in the centre of Lewisham,” she says.

Karen started out by offering fancy dress hire from her parents’ house in Downham back in the mid 1980s.

She used to work in the accounts department at Burberry, but when they made her redundant she used her small payout to launch the business.

“I’d always made my own clothes and used to make costumes for friends. I asked my parents if I could run something from home as it would save on the overheads”, she says.

“We stored everything in the loft and people used to try on costumes in my bedroom. Back then I didn’t think to have set opening hours, so people would knock on the door when we were in the middle of having our tea sometimes.”

Every time she made any money, Karen bought more stock.

“You know how your mates tell you when they’ve bought a new dress or something? Well for me it was always, ‘I’ve bought a new Supergirl costume!’ Your priorities do change.

“I called the business Clowning Around, which I thought was pretty clever, but then I started going to trade shows and discovered that there were loads called that,” she laughs.

Back then Harlequin was run by a couple called Les and Pat.

“They were quite elderly and wanted to retire, so Pat got in touch and asked if I was interested in taking it over”, explains Karen.

She opened the shop with a silent business partner, Colin, a customer who ran a wholesale party supplies company.

“A few people said that I was mad to go into business with someone I didn’t know that well, but actually it worked out really well,” she says.

Two years ago Colin retired and now Karen runs Harlequin on her own, although he still owns the property.

Even with support from someone else, Karen says it was tough at the beginning.

“It was very scary to go from not having to pay rent or rates to having all of that to think about”, she recalls.

“We opened on 1 April 1991, which still makes me laugh. I remember our first ever sale was a grass skirt and two fake cigarettes and I still see the woman who bought them around here occasionally.”

Luckily for Karen, it was around this time that the fancy dress industry started to take off.

“I’m not sure why exactly, but in the 90s fancy dress went crazy. The quality of things for people to buy just got better and better, so we stocked loads more outfits for sale and accessories too.

“When the couple [Les and Pat] came back a while later to see the shop, they couldn’t believe how much stuff we had. I think a fancy dress shop should be like an Aladdin’s Cave.”

There’s something interesting to look at on every surface, with masks and fairy wings hanging from the ceiling, walls covered with every outfit imaginable, from witches and vampires to pirates and superheroes, and a counter cabinet packed full of makeup. There’s even a whole area at the back just for wigs.

Below the shop, the basement is crammed full of rails of clothes that adults can hire, with everything from Winnie-the-Pooh and crocodile outfits to fairy princesses and historic costumes.

“Customers come in because they are going to a wide variety of events, from the rugby and the darts to Secret Cinema and Comic Con”, says Karen.

“World Book Day in March is always busy with children, and school staff too.”

The shop’s peak time however is Halloween, when Karen is in her element.

“It’s my favourite time of the year because there’s such a lovely atmosphere. We open late and on a Sunday too, and friends and family come to help out.

“We all dress up and on the day we always have sweets for kids who come in trick or treating and to show us their outfits.”

Every year she says people are trying to think of something different to do.

“Now lots of people are watching YouTube and doing their own makeup with Rigid Collodion. ‘Zombie’ contact lenses are really popular, as they can change a whole outfit.”

Karen also loves Christmas and always spends a lot of time thinking about the shop window display.

“I like to do something that children will love,” she says. “One year I did Elf, with spaghetti with smarties and giant candy canes for walking sticks.”

Ten years ago Karen’s husband Pete retired and now helps her in the shop. They both love any excuse to dress up.

“We used to live in Woolwich on the London Marathon route and we would always have a massive fancy dress party with balloons and air horns and everything,” says Karen. “We’d often end up featured in the local paper.”

They were married by an Elvis lookalike in Las Vegas and have a photo from their wedding day hanging in the changing rooms at Harlequin.

“It was a second marriage for both of us so we decided to go to town. All the women were dressed as Marilyn Monroe and the guys as Elvis. Pete is a big Man City fan so he wore a pale blue suit and I wore a pale blue 1950s dress.”

They celebrated Pete’s 60th birthday last year with a 1920s party and for Karen’s 50th they had a Hawaii Five-0 theme.

“Getting ready is the best part and dressing up just makes things more fun,” says Karen. “It means that you are already in the party mood when you arrive and seeing friends and family all dressed up too is brilliant.”

0 notes

funface2 · 5 years

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9 funny memes from fourth Democratic debate – Fast Company

9 funny memes from the fourth Democratic debate to help you laugh and not cry

Here are nearly as many memes about last night’s Democratic debate as there were candidates on stage (i.e. probably too many.)

[Photo: courtesy of CNN & The New York Times]

By Joe Berkowitz6 minute Read

Sometimes, you have to laugh to keep from crying. (See: most of the last three years.)

Every now and then, the fuel for that laughter comes from the very politicians who are fighting against, or responsible for, what we’re crying about. Either these politicians are cracking jokes, which rarely ends well, or everybody else is cracking jokes at their expense. One of the more optimum opportunities for the latter is a presidential debate. These things always end up turning into Political Joke Thunderdome on Twitter, and last night was no exception.

Here are the best memes Fast Company noticed emerging from the fourth Democratic debate of this election, which saw a crowded stage of 12 candidates duke it out for viral supremacy.

Who is Tom Steyer?

Considering that at this point most people would prefer the Democratic field be winnowed down rather than inflated, a lot of viewers were unenthused about seeing a new face on stage. (And Keke Palmer recently gave them a perfect way to express as much.)

Never heard of Tom Steyer in my life. Sorry to this man.

— jeremy bearimy (@crissles) October 16, 2019

Me looking at Tom Steyer not even knowing who he is and that he was part of the debate. #DemocraticDebate pic.twitter.com/gYZ1y4IAXq

— Giselle V. (@itsgissel) October 16, 2019

“Who the hell is this?” – All of America when Tom Steyer started talking

— Jason Howerton (@jason_howerton) October 16, 2019

When there’s suddenly a new debate participant and we’re just supposed to act like they were there all along pic.twitter.com/eQzoWSM0r2

— Dave Itzkoff (@ditzkoff) October 16, 2019

Joe Biden yelling at Elizabeth Warren

A lot of people ended up challenging Elizabeth Warren during last night’s debate (you better believe we’ll be seeing more in just a moment), but only one of them has an angry grandpa vibe in general and a history of pointing fingers in people’s faces.

People mocked Joe Biden’s explosive moment with references to a Will Ferrell SNL character . . .

I DRIVE A DODGE STRATUS https://t.co/qCAGaimdru

— Sonny Bunch (@SonnyBunch) October 16, 2019

And with references to the MRA reaction to Star Wars: The Last Jedi . . .

“I like Kelly Marie Tran, but I don’t like Rose as a character!” https://t.co/IfHXYjxtzB

— Jordan Maison (@JordanMaison) October 16, 2019

And of course with esoteric Simpsons references.

“And I wore an onion on my belt, which was the style at the time” https://t.co/3urPHGhOUH

— William D. Adler (@williamadler78) October 16, 2019

“Will you join me, Elizabeth?”

Kamala Harris and Tulsi Gabbard took turns trying to recruit Elizabeth Warren to a pair of positions they’d stated—deleting Trump’s Twitter account and calling for an “end to these regime change wars in Syria,” respectively, to no avail. People online had fun with these requests and with Warren’s utterly unfazed response.

WHEN will elizabeth warren join me in demanding that Under The Dome get renewed for another season — @ewarren what are you afraid of??

— Ashley Feinberg (@ashleyfeinberg) October 16, 2019

Everyone wants Liz Warren specifically to join them in some random venture!!!! We should make an app.

“Liz Warren, will you join me in supporting the public stoning of couples in restaurants that have to sit on the same side of the table?” #DemDebate

— Phillip Henry (@MajorPhilebrity) October 16, 2019

#DemDebate Tulsi Gabbard: I hope Elizabeth Warren will join me.

Elizabeth Warren: pic.twitter.com/cFfsz1tbd7

— Theresa (@theresaaaclare) October 16, 2019

Tulsi Gabbard is NOT a Russian asset

Of course, Tulsi Gabbard using the phrase “regime-change war” to describe the genocide in Syria struck some people as echoing Vladimir Putin’s language about what is currently happening in the region. This turn of phrase would have likely incited some blowback anyway, but it ironically came just moments after Gabbard, unprompted, declared that she is not, in fact, a Russian asset.

“CNN said I was a Russian asset. That’s ridiculous. Anyway, to solve the problem in the Middle East I would do exactly what Putin wants.” -Tulsi Gabbard. #DemDebate

— Boo-jamin Screamin’ (@BenjaminJS) October 16, 2019

*when Tulsi Gabbard mentions people are calling her a Russian asset then proceeds to do absolutely nothing but reinforce the fact that she’s a fuckin Russian asset* #DemDebate pic.twitter.com/osbovF6JIG

— Cyrus McQueen (@CyrusMMcQueen) October 16, 2019

Actual propaganda that Tulsi is parroting, in between denying she’s not a Russian asset. https://t.co/gjZPXGT99S

— Jill Filipovic (@JillFilipovic) October 16, 2019

Tulsi: I am not a Russian asset Erryone else: pic.twitter.com/KQkfSi9caD

— Kevin (@kevinlizon) October 16, 2019

Beto is Cousin Greg from ‘Succession’

Maybe it was the fact that the Succession finale aired just two nights earlier. Maybe it was Beto O’Rourke’s apparent height advantage at certain moments during the debate. For whatever reason, a lot of people made the connection between the candidate and Nicholas Braun’s eternally put-upon beanpole from the show.

Because my brain is completely broken, I am getting some strong Cousin Greg vibes off of Beto tonight

— Kate Aronoff (@KateAronoff) September 5, 2019

beto bringing that big cousin greg energy tonight

— The chud from C.H.U.D. (@maggieserota) September 13, 2019

I’m getting this weird vibe like Beto and Cousin Greg might be members of the same family.

— Kim Masters (@kimmasters) October 16, 2019

pic.twitter.com/LBiNN2mgHc

— Dave Itzkoff (@ditzkoff) October 16, 2019

Klobuchar’s “Is this thing on?” moment

Amy Klobuchar dropped a number of zingers that didn’t exactly kill in the way that Warren’s Equality Town Hall joke did last week, and they were received accordingly online as well.

You better believe I added a laugh track to Amy Klobuchar’s joke pic.twitter.com/LM6xCiYrJl

— Keith Deadwards ???? (@keithedwards) October 16, 2019

Me whenever Klobuchar tries to make a joke #DemocraticDebate pic.twitter.com/MjKKiF0DNq

— ☆ʞɯ️☆ (@_monster_kid) October 16, 2019

**LEAKED FOOTAGE OF AMY KLOBUCHAR PREPARING JOKES FOR THE DEM DEBATES** pic.twitter.com/RfMnTbUrd2

— Yamasc ???????? (@MilkmanNick) October 16, 2019

Straining so hard trying to turn Klobuchar’s bad jokes into a Joker thing I give myself Joe Biden brain.

— luke (@lukeoneil47) October 16, 2019

Biden’s gaffes tend to multiply ‘expodentially’

Because Joe Biden can’t seem to talk without saying at least one thing that makes his aides reach for Prilosec, at one point during the debate, the word “expodentially” was born.

I have never opened twitter faster than when Biden said expodentially

— ⛓ellen⛓ (@_culver_) October 16, 2019

Expodentially? #DemDebate pic.twitter.com/p4wkQeWHPI

— Mericam (@Mericam49) October 16, 2019

this is expodentially my favorite debate by far

— Aparna Nancherla (@aparnapkin) October 16, 2019

Buttigieg vs Beto

When sparring broke out between Pete Buttigieg and Beto O’Rourke, a lot of onlookers realized they had some trouble telling the difference between these two similarly second-tier candidates.

Pete telling Beto he doesn’t have enough of a plan. #DemDebate pic.twitter.com/wtWCCV6TI1

— Leslie Mac (@LeslieMac) October 16, 2019

Each time Beto and Pete turn in full profile to debate about a point they both agree on, it is the praxis version of Spiderman Pointing At Spiderman Dot Gif.

— Brock Wilbur (@brockwilbur) October 16, 2019

Beto vs Mayor Pete is like watching an anime fight scene between two background characters. #DemDebate

— Chris Ray Goblin (@ChrisRGun) October 16, 2019

Beto O’Rourke / Pete Buttigieg (CNN Debate, 2019 colorized)#DemDebate #DemocraticDebate #Futurama #TheyAreClones pic.twitter.com/XoAK0CDtb3

— Blaise Mikkelsen (@wittywebhandle) October 16, 2019

The unlikely friend most likely

Ever since the Democratic debates began, viewers have been begging for more questions on substantive issues like climate change. So it was rather typical when the CNN/New York Times debate ended with a question about . . . last week’s Ellen DeGeneres mishegas. Moderator Anderson Cooper asked all the candidates who their most “unlikely friend” might be, and a lot of viewers—including whoever does Sam Bee’s social media—were clamoring for one pairing in particular.

Biden’s unlikely friend gonna be Corn Pop

— John Toohey (@J2tellem) October 16, 2019

CNN Anchor: Tell us about an unlikely friend you have.

Biden: Cornpop.#DemDebate

— Full Frontal (@FullFrontalSamB) October 16, 2019

I feel let down that @JoeBiden ‘a unlikely friend wasn’t Corn Pop. pic.twitter.com/Nst7mOrlXN

— Crypt Keeper 2020 (JDB) (@jdborneman) October 16, 2019

CNN: who is your most unlikely friend?

Joe Biden: CORN POP!#DemocraticDebate

— bela lugosi’s beth (@bourgeoisalien) October 16, 2019

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‘It Can’t Get Much Worse’ versus ‘No One Should Ever Feel Like...’

So maybe if it had escalated, it could have started like this. "This is Katie Couric reporting live from Washington, DC where Pete Wentz has just taken over the White House. Early reports say that the building didn't stand a chance. Wentz and his followers have barricaded themselves inside. Stayed tuned for updates as they come." Or maybe it actually did start like this. "I'd make a better president than this troglodyte." Pete threw a soda can at his television. In fact, it could've started like this. "Relax, I'll be gone for the week. I left you a map of where I'm going to be camping and I'll be back next weekend." Ryan pulled his car, packed with startlingly few supplies, out of the garage and drove away from his roommate. But in reality, it started like this. Peter Lewis Kingston Wentz III was not an ordinary boy. That was the easiest way to describe his existence in the world. Born into great wealth and even greater privilege, he was never denied a whim or passing fancy. And that's where the trouble really started. Absentee parents and a butler named Alfred were really a horrible mix for a child with a slight Batman fixation. Well, less Batman, more supervillains that Batman tried to destroy. An example of dialogue with young Peter might have gone something like this: Pete: Well, The Joker couldn't have been very smart if a stupid orphan was able to beat him. Alfred: Master Peter, the point is that good wins over evil. Pete: Shut up, Alfred, or I'll have you sacked as I did Alfred. Alfred: Master Peter, my name is Nicholas. Pete: Your name is whatever I say it is, you incompetent imbecile. In truth, Pete hadn't had his last butler sacked, merely deported. But he was fond of Alfred, in his own way, and he had no desire to see him thrown out of the country. Pete had been reading Batman comic books for as long as he could remember, and he was noticing a very distinctive pattern. Aside from the obvious homosexuality in the comic, there was a lot of sexual tension between Batman and the female villains. These were women who knew how to use their wiles to get what they wanted. Pete didn't have wiles, not as far as he could tell, anyway. But really, what did he know? He was seven years old and the only companions he really had were the animals in his menagerie, and they didn't really respond so well when he asked things like, "Do my wiles drive you insane with lust?" Generally the marmosets were the only ones to respond, but they didn't speak English. He had no other friends around to ask. Alfred had a solution, but it was another one that almost got him fired. "Master Peter, if you'd like, I could arrange for a gorilla that is fluently versed in American Sign Language." For a moment Pete just stared at him blankly. "Who the hell do you think you're speaking with? I'm not going to learn another language so my pet can speak with me. No, you find me a pet that speaks English or I'll make sure you're sacked and that your reference will ensure that you never find another position in any household." "Master Peter…" Alfred sighed, unsure of how to handle this situation. "Or worse, I won't let you come when I blow up the world. Then all the other children will be gone and it won't matter that they don't come to play with me." "Master Peter, I shall do my very best to find a pet for you. One which is fluent in English." Yes, that was really where it started. A week or so later, which happened to be Pete's birthday, Alfred entered the room and presented Pete with a small bundle in a blue blanket. "Happy Birthday, Master Peter." Just then the bundle gave a small, sleepy yawn. "You've made me the happiest boy today, Alfred. Thank you." Pete knew what was inside. He carefully set the bundle down on couch next to him so he could stand up and give Alfred a hug. "What shall I name him?" "He already has a name, it's Brendon." Alfred had seen all of the documentation for this baby and thought it best to pick him. And he did love when Pete smiled the way he did when he saw the baby, teeth far too big for his mouth. "That's the perfect name for my most exotic pet." Pete was already holding the baby in his arms again. "Brendon, you shall be favored among my menagerie." He touched his finger to the baby's nose and laughed when it gurgled at him. Yes, Brendon would do quite nicely. He served as Pete's constant companion, staying by his side through everything in his life. Brendon had gurgled through the news that Pete's parents had passed away in a car accident. Everyone on the compound claimed to not know anything about the cut brake lines and Alfred quietly disposed of all mechanical books in Pete's personal library. As Brendon grew up, Pete even fancied that Brendon looked a little like him. He began teaching him at a young age how to use his eyebrows. "They should never move together, two separate movements." Pete demonstrated again, smiling when Brendon was able to imitate the move. He no longer needed Brendon to answer his questions on wiles. He generally used the small boy as a sounding board for ideas. Fortunately, Brendon loved Pete's ideas almost as much as he loved the kangaroo that Pete had bought for him. He would sit and watch for hours as Pete detailed various plots in a room in the basement. There were maps and toy soldiers and Pete only tapped his wrist gently when he tried to play with them. "These are important, Brendon. We mustn't touch them until it's time." Pete never explained when it would be time, only that it was approaching. Brendon, knowing little of the outside world, happily agreed as long as it didn't interrupt with Power Puff Girls time. Brendon spent most of his time with Pete's menagerie, letting the marmosets crawl over him and the sloths curl up to his sides when they wanted a nap. He would never admit it to anyone, but he liked their company better than Pete's. Pete was always making veiled comments that seemed ominous to Brendon, even though he wasn't quite sure why. As he got closer to eighteen, or at least when Pete told him he was probably almost eighteen, Brendon was sent on special missions to further help the room in the basement. "If anyone asks, this is called a topograph." Pete pushed the hardhat further down on Brendon's hair, squishing the bowl-cut under it. "No one should ask you any questions, but if they do, what do you say?" "I'm a student practicing land surveying because my Dad wants me to work with him this summer to save money for school," Brendon said in a quiet voice. He was slightly nervous about leaving the compound, even with Alfred driving him. He'd been out on a handful of occasions, but nothing good had ever happened on them. The last time he could remember, Pete had said they were going to Best Buy to pick up The Power Puff Girls on DVD for Brendon. Pete had asked Brendon to go in and buy it without him. By the time Brendon had exited the store, Pete was slumped, unconscious against the window. Naturally, Brendon had called Alfred and he'd taken care of the entire situation. Though Pete had apologized for scaring Brendon, things hadn't been the same since. Brendon didn't understand why Pete had done it and Pete couldn't explain his fear of failure to the monkey-faced boy. So they orbited each other at a distance, occasionally passing in the hallways of the house, or meeting on the grounds of the compound. "Sir, there's a boy to see you." Alfred went into Pete's chambers and stood beside the computer desk. He caught a glimpse of the words "My name is a four letter word synonymous with failure" before Pete closed the laptop and turned. "Show him into the sitting room. I'll take a meeting with him while you drive Brendon to the location. When you two return, alert me at once." Pete waved a hand dismissively and walked over to the mirror, looking at the slight bags under his eyes. After applying another layer of kohl, he walked down a different hallway to the sitting room. He wanted a moment to compose himself before going into this meeting. It was his experience that visitors were almost never a good thing. His last visitor had been Christopher, his oldest and dearest servant, telling Pete that he was retiring and that he was going to be leaving the compound. If another one was going to be leaving, Pete was not going to be impressed. To his surprise, a boy around Brendon's age turned around as he entered the library. "Mr. Wentz?" Pete flinched at the formality and shook his head. "It's cliché to say that's my father, but he is. You can call me Pete." Pete held his hand out, indicating that the boy should take a seat in one of the tall-backed leather chairs. "Pete. I'm Ryan Ross." Ryan extended his hand to shake Pete's but didn't appear all that surprised when Pete didn't offer his in return. "It's nice to meet you, Ryan." Pete's tone was only slightly tinged with curiosity. Of course he wanted to know what this boy wanted from him, but he wasn't prepared to appear eager to get the information. Showing your cards too soon meant a lower payout. "Yes. You probably want to know why I'm here?" Ryan's own eyes were lightly lined with kohl and Pete couldn't dismiss the way they seemed infinitely larger when Ryan tilted his head and looked at him. "If you wish to share it." Pete waved his hand as if granting permission. Again, he left the decision entirely up to Ryan, who appeared only too eager to share with Pete his reasons for coming to the compound. "I want to help you." Those five words intrigued Pete. He'd heard them many times in his life, many times from lovers who had turned out to be leavers. "Help me," Pete repeated, clearly amused with the notion. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but on the southern tip of the compound, there's a lot of camo-netting. And I've done my research on what you've been buying over in Russia. Pete, I'd like to help." Ryan emphasized the word "help" slightly. "Whatever you believe you know, you don't." Pete's tone turned flat. It was a shame, really; he didn't want to have to take this one out but he had to do what was best for the plan. "I do. Just. Look, maybe I'm not enough to convince you, but maybe my friend is." Ryan opened his bag and for a moment, Pete was sure he caught sight of a bio-hazardous sign. Another bit of rooting and he pulled out a binder, handing it over to Pete. "A sign of good faith. I made a pit stop before coming to see you. It's a copy of all the information they have on you and your movements thus far." Pete immediately began leafing through it, figuring he knew what misinformation had been picked up by the military. He wasn't prepared to see pictures of Brendon dressed as a land surveyor. That was never supposed to have been picked up. The pictures were all recent, so Pete knew that they were watching with a renewed interest. "You want to help." Pete nodded, closing the binder and looking up at the young boy in front of him. An eager nod was answer enough for him. "All right." He didn't trust this boy but the time would come when he would be useful. He'd already proven himself to be useful. "You understand, then, that the compound is now your home. You're not to leave it. Anyone you knew before is just that, someone you knew, not someone you know any longer." As soon as Ryan joined Team Off Wentz His Pants (really, Pete should've known not to let Brendon name the organization. Never again would he make that mistake.), he began his training with small, close range weaponry. His favourite place to practice was the garden. The only person who was surprised when Nick Scimeca took several rounds to the back of his head was Brendon. He'd loved the gardener. Nick had always planted daisies in a small patch of the back garden for him. After Nick's shuffling loose of the mortal coil, Brendon tended to stick to the menagerie, listlessly watching his pet kangaroo, Maria, hop around. All in all, the days grew rather similar. One thing led to another, and everyone swore they had no idea how it happened, but Belgium just stopped existing one day. "But! I loved their chocolate!" Brendon was inconsolable, landing in a heap after leaping from one of the trees in the menagerie. "Pete, is this part of the plan?" "It's the start." Pete simply nodded and continued to stroke the sloth that lay curled in his lap. "Don't worry, pet, you'll be as safe as ever." "But I won't have chocolate!" He wailed for such a length of time that all the animals, save for a tiny lemur, left him alone. Even Maria wouldn't hop near him until he'd worn himself out. It was then that he decided Alfred would take him for a drive the next day. He'd pack his backpack, kiss the animals goodbye and find out what life was really like on the outside of the compound. Secretly, Brendon suspected that Belgium hadn't been blown up. Ryan just liked to complain that Brendon couldn't keep still after eating any chocolate. Ryan was turning out to be nothing like Pete. Ryan was mean. The worst part was there was no telling if he meant whatever he was saying. That darn monotone. That evening, after Pete had retired for the evening and Ryan had powered down, or whatever it was that robots like him did at night, Brendon began packing his backpack. There were all sorts of things to back. Sweatbands, just in case it got warm and he needed to keep the sweat out of his eyebrows; socks, because you really never knew; a towel, because it could get you out of any sort of situation; a Tupperware container full of cheerios, to sustain him until he found a convenience store and could pick up some real food; and Bob the stuffed lemur, because he knew Pete would miss the real one and he would need something to cuddle until he could liberate Bob the real lemur. As the final object he placed in his bag, he carefully set Eunice into her case and then in his backpack. Eunice was the 9mm Pete had bought for Brendon on the anniversary of Brendon's tenth year on the compound. He'd had Alfred and Chris teach Brendon how to shoot at targets and according to the official FBI tester that Pete had kidnapped and executed, Brendon shot better than half his men. Pete was so proud that he'd bought Maria, the kangaroo, as another present for Brendon. Maria was what Brendon had initially asked for his birthday, but Pete said there were enough animals in the menagerie. After Brendon had become so adept at the use of firearms, well, he couldn't bring himself to say no. Brendon made his way around the house silently, pilfering a few bottles of Gatorade and touching things that he'd never been allowed to touch. He even took Pete's secondary copy of The Plan. He'd leafed through the binder on many boring afternoons while Pete was in Russia, but he'd never really cared about it. It went inside his backpack, covering Eunice. That would teach Pete to go around listening to people who had no inflection. He was going to have to spend an entire day photocopying all his documents again for another secondary copy of The Plan. Shouldering his backpack, Brendon went to the servants' wing of the house and tried to walk quietly. He still knew the location of most of the squeaky floorboards from when he snuck down as a much smaller child. There was a chef, one who took care to make sure that Brendon's meals were always vegetarian, and he would help Brendon. He was sure of it. After three rapid knocks, which was the code for late night pie, Brendon waited for Tom Conrad to answer the door. The door opened cautiously and Tom poked his head out. "Master Brendon, what are you doing still up?" Apparently it had taken Brendon a little too long to choose between bringing Clarence the stuffed frog or Bob the stuffed lemur. By Tom's clock, it was quarter to four in the morning. "Master Brendon, I know you're used to the house being yours to wander but you can't do that anymore. It isn't safe." Tom said nothing more than that, quietly slipping into his robe. "What kind of pie would you like today? I think we have apple and chocolate crème in the freezer. Would you like some ice cream?" "Tom. I. I need a favor. Can you." Brendon toed the ground, chewing his lip. "I need to get out of here. I don't think Pete needs me anymore now that he has Ryan. And. I don't know. I want to see what's out there." He looked up and tried to smile at Tom but it wouldn't quite meet his eyes. Tom looked down at the ground and shook his head. "You know I can't do that. Pete would have my head for it." Both of them knew the statement wasn't an exaggeration. "I just." Brendon nudged Tom back into the room, looking down the hallway. He had no idea if Pete really had ears everywhere on the compound. "I don't trust this Ryan guy. He rubs me the wrong way. And this Plan. I don't know what it is, but Ryan said that Belgium got blown up and I really think that might be a bad thing. And I'm pretty sure it's all Ryan's fault." "I know. He isn't anyone's favourite here." Tom moved over to his bedside table and turned on the stereo so it emitted a low, steady stream of music. "All right. Here's what I can do. Every morning, Brent comes and delivers fresh produce for us. I can help you sneak into the van. You can get out of the compound and sneak off the van at the first stop after. I'll give you an address. Don't program it into your phone, I'll write it down and you go to it. Jon will be able to help you if you tell him about the Plan. And when you get there. When you get there, tell them to tell Sean I'm all right." That was how, two hours later, Brendon came to be sitting in the back of a large truck carrying vegetables and fruits. He helped himself to a nice snack, justifying that no one would notice if two mangoes and a head of cauliflower went missing. By the time Brent made his first delivery, Brendon had gorged himself on mangoes, kiwis, oranges, and blueberries. His stomach hurt but he was full in case he had to wander around looking for Jon Walker, 312 Cherrywood Lane. There was no phone number on the piece of paper that Tom provided him and Brendon really hadn't needed to pay attention when Alfred drove him into the city, so it was difficult for Brendon to know where to begin. He'd watched enough movies to know that he could simply take a taxi there. Once he was within range of one, he began waving his arms wildly. "Hi. I'm. Not really from around here. My name is Brendon and I need to get to Jon Walker's house. It's at 312 Cherrywood Lane. Apparently it's in the Evanston neighborhood?" He smiled in what he hoped was a winning fashion at the surly cab driver in the front seat. "That's in the 'burbs. I'm going to have to charge you meter and a half, are you okay with that?" His voice was ashy from years of smoking, the same as Tom's voice early in the morning when Brendon woke him to ask if he could have chocolate chips on his pancakes. "Uh. Yeah, that's fine. Do you take credit cards?" Brendon looked through his wallet. He had the credit card Pete had provided him to use in case of emergencies. He was fairly certain this constituted an emergency. "Nah, it's too early in the day. I've got no one to verify the card. I can stop at an ATM for you." The driver indicated a shop a block up. "You can take out cash. It'll be sixty, minimum." Brendon thought for a moment. It seemed reasonable enough. After all, Pete routinely took out hundreds of dollars from the ATM when they went to restaurants. Brendon nodded and the taxi was on its way. "Hey. I can take out a lot of money from the ATM, right? Like, more than just the cab fare?" "Uh. Yeah, you can probably take out five hundred dollars." The cabbie looked in the rearview mirror at Brendon. "You ever used a credit card, kid?" "No, this has only been for emergencies." Brendon looked at the black American Express. He liked the way it shone in his wallet. The cab driver remained silent for the rest of the ride to 312 Cherrywood Lane. The brief stop at the ATM was made longer by Brendon's inability to remember if the pin number 5683 or 4283. Eventually he emerged with five hundred dollars in crisp twenties. "Okay, to the house!" Brendon pointed in the direction he assumed Jon Walker's house was. The cabbie drove him to the front of an apartment building. "This is the building. It'll be seventy dollars." Brendon counted out eighty dollars and handed it over. It took him a moment to figure out how to buzz up to Jon Walker's apartment. "Mmm, too early, Patrick." A sleepy voice mumbled on the other end of the intercom. "Jon Walker?" Brendon leaned close to the speaker and whispered. "Patrick?" "No. Is this Jon Walker?" Brendon asked again. "This is Brendon. Tom sent me to you. Can you buzz me up?" "Tom?" The voice sounded like it was waking up a little more. "Tom sent you and your name is Brendon." Fifteen minutes later Brendon was sitting in the kitchen of the apartment Jon Walker shared with some girl named Spencer. Jon and Spencer were both nursing cups of hot coffee. "So. You're Brendon and Tom sent you." "You've been saying that for the last ten minutes. Isn't coffee supposed to wake you up?" Brendon was staring longingly at the mugs nestled in both of their hands. He hadn't been allowed coffee at the compound since That Time Brendon Accidentally Shot Off Two Million Dollars Worth Of Explosives. It hadn't been his fault, either. Pete should've known not to leave Brendon alone after letting him down a quad-shot of espresso. "Since he's the one that's hiding you, or whatever, I wouldn't be so picky about what he says." Spencer's voice was very masculine. And she was awfully flat. Brendon cocked his head to the side and tried to determine if the two were somehow related. He shook his head and reached for his backpack. "Look. Tom helped me get off the compound so that I could see the world. But I want to see the world before it all gets blown up. And I looked at The Plan, so I'm pretty sure it's all going to get blown up." Brendon began digging through his backpack, producing the binder. It had been shifted during his adventure on the fruit truck. "He said you'd know what to do with this." He slid the binder across the table to Jon. "I. The compound. You." Jon seemed at a loss for words but Spencer perked up immediately. "Is this what I think it is?" She began looking through the binder, fingers drawing across the words as she read. "Where did you get this?" "From Pete. I kind of stole it. Hey, you aren't going to send me back and get me in trouble for this, are you?" Brendon instantly grew worried. He wanted nothing to do with the compound now that Ryan Ross had taken over. There had been a time before when he'd tried to run away. Brendon had gotten as far as the southern wing of the house before Mike Carden, the team coordinator, had found him. Pete had taken Maria away from him for a month. "No, no. I. We need to get you to Patrick's. Does anyone know you're here?" Spencer started moving around the kitchen in a hurry, dumping the last of her coffee down the drain. Brendon whimpered at the sight. All that good coffee gone to waste. "Just Tom. Alfred probably knows I'm gone by now. But stupid Pete doesn't notice anything now that stupid Ryan is at the stupid compound." Brendon kicked at the kitchen floor, thinking of the way Pete looked at Ryan. The favourite was clearly chosen. "When you snuck off the truck, how did you get here?" Spencer's questions were rapid, the gears in her brain obviously spinning wildly. "I took a cab. I hailed it and everything." Brendon looked immensely proud of himself. It took a moment before he realized that it might not be something to be proud of. Maybe people out here hailed cabs every day. "How did you pay?" Spencer slipped on a hoodie and stuck The Plan back in Brendon's backpack. "With cash." Brendon saw Spencer standing up and gasped. Spencer wasn't a girl at all! Spencer was a boy! And his hips, God! Pete had wanted hips like those forever. Brendon was made to judge Pete's various attempts at walking like that for as long as he could remember. "Okay, I'm getting you to Patrick's. He's going to want to know about this. Jon, see if you can find a way to get a hold of Tom. If you can't. Well. Just call me in an hour so I know that you're safe." Spencer leaned in and touched his lips to Jon's. Jon still looked rather tired but seemed to wake up at the brush of lips. "Who's Patrick?" Brendon finally asked. "Patrick is the motherfucking man." Jon answered. * "What do you mean he doesn't know anything? How did he know to bring the binder?" Patrick was talking about Brendon with Spencer as if Brendon wasn't even in the room. "He kept babbling about Belgium. I don't know. He knows a little, but I don't think he really knows what he knows. He took the binder to waste Pete's time with photocopying." Spencer was poring over the binder with Patrick while Brendon sat on the counter behind them. Brendon was totally down with this Patrick guy. He'd answered the door in a trucker hat and he was really awesome in general. He'd seemed excited about the binder until he'd started reading it. That was when the doubt came. "Fuck! Do you see what he bought from Korea?" Patrick practically tore a leaf from the binder. "No, this. We can't do this. There's no way we can stop him." "Don't even say that. You've worked too long, too hard for this to not amount to something. It was you that wanted to stop him in the first place. You were the one who told me that he needed to be stopped. Jon's probably lost Tom. We all heard about what happened to Nick. Pete Wentz has to be stopped or it'll happen to everyone." Brendon was impressed by the calm tone Spencer was taking with Patrick. "I know. I just. That's a fucking reactor. This isn't something we can just ask him to get rid of." Patrick scrubbed a hand over his face and looked at Spencer. "I'm aware of what it is. But at least we're not going into this blind anymore. We've got all the steps. Everything." Spencer patted the binder before nodding in Brendon's direction. "Not only that, we've got Brendon." "Are you hiding him here?" Patrick looked over his shoulder at Brendon. He just waved cheerfully in return and continued drinking his juicebox. "Because I really don't think he should be staying with you guys. Not if anyone on the compound has even the slightest idea of where he went." "Yeah, I want to hide him here. Maybe at Gabe's." Spencer turned around and looked Brendon over. "Gabe could say he's a cousin or something. He looks a little bit Latin." "Right. You really want to send him to Gabe's place? He can stay here." Patrick sighed and turned to look at Brendon. "Just don't touch anything, okay?" Brendon nodded while slurping up the last of his juicebox. "Great. This is whose shoulders humanity's fate is resting on. I hope you know what you're doing, Spencer." "Shut up. We'll meet tonight at Soma coffee shop and we'll go over everything there." Spencer raised his eyebrows significantly at the name of the coffee shop. Brendon caught the look but didn't ask any questions. "All right. We're going to just be here for the rest of the afternoon. Maybe say seven o'clock?" Patrick closed the binder and slid it into his lap. "I'll need that time to look through this, maybe give Andy a call and see what he thinks." Spencer's snort was unmistakable. "Yeah, good luck with that." * It wasn't so much that nobody liked visiting Andy. He was fascinating, and Patrick loved sitting with him and shooting the shit. Spencer loved visiting and finding new recipes for Jon to try out. There was only one drawback to visiting, and it was tiny, miniscule even. Andy liked greeting visitors with his shotgun, Denise. "Andy, it's just me, Patrick!" Patrick held his hands up in the air, smacking Brendon's chest in order to get him to do the same. "Prove it! Who is my favourite Laguna Beach character?" Andy cocked the shotgun, pointing it at Patrick's chest. He obviously didn't deem Brendon much of a threat as he hadn't even acknowledged his existence. "Laguna Beach promotes capitalism and meaningless consumer-driven lives." Patrick whimpered and turned his face from the gun. "But secretly you like Trey because you feel he thinks in a manner that shows progress given his poor upbringing." "Okay, Patrick. But next time, it'll change to Morgan because of her dedication to her own personal cause of chastity and morality. She shows strong character for that. I suggest you remember it if you don't want to take one to the chest." Andy bared his teeth for Brendon's benefit. Brendon just smiled at him and clutched his backpack tighter to his chest. All things considered, Andy lived in a fairly nice place. The things you had to consider were that the place was a bomb shelter and that it was in the middle of the Wisconsin forests. And that he'd named his bomb shelter Ms. Monroe. "I can't really stay here for long, we have to be back to Soma by seven but we need to show you something." Patrick nudged Brendon again, urging him to produce the stolen binder from the depths of his backpack. Andy kept the shotgun in his hand as he took the binder from Brendon. It sat on the table as he leafed through it. With each page turn, Andy's eyes grew wider. "Holy shit! Does he really have this stuff?" He looked up from the binder at Brendon. "Oh, the reactor? Yeah, he went on a trip to India a few years ago and came back with it. It was pretty cool." Brendon shrugged and attempted to look around the bomb shelter. Pete had never let Brendon into his bomb shelter, worried that he'd accidentally eat a year's worth of dehydrated meals or something. "Shit." Patrick hadn't been able to bring himself to ask Brendon about everything in his binder. He wasn't sure how much Brendon knew, but he realized that he'd have to find out if he wanted to stand any sort of chance against Pete. "It's motherfucking apocalypse! Just like I told you assholes. Get off my property! It's everyone for themselves!" Andy cocked his shotgun and pointed it at Patrick. In a flash of inspiration, Brendon snatched the binder from the table as they made their way out of Ms. Monroe. After hotfooting it across several hundred yards of forest to get to Patrick's parked car, they pulled out as quickly as they could. "I thought he was supposed to have some ideas!" Brendon was antsy after almost being shot. He could've totally defended himself with Eunice, but he'd accidentally forgotten to pack bullets for her. "No, not necessarily. Look, we'll head back to the city and we can wait for everyone." Patrick sighed and merged onto the main highway. "We're going to have to let everyone know that Andy's not with us anymore." Even from the corner of his eye, Brendon could see the tenseness in Patrick's wrists as he gripped the steering wheel. "Will you explain this whole thing to me? I'm a little bit confused. What exactly is going on? I know Pete has a lot of stuff on the compound and I know he's been doing a lot of stuff in other countries. And sometimes the news talks about him but I always have to leave the room while he watches it. So, I'm pretty sure it's nothing good or I'd be allowed to hear it." Brendon fidgeted with the sleeves of his hoodie. "I can't explain it in here, okay? We don't really entirely know where he can hear and where he can't. We'll be safe once we get to Soma." He continued on the highway, turning the music up as loud as he could. For once, Brendon remained silent through the car ride. He was taking in all the sights he'd missed when he was stuck in Brent's fruit truck. There were so many different things he'd never seen on the compound. Different trees, different views. For a few moments Brendon allowed himself to think about the menagerie, the animals he'd had to leave behind. "Patrick, are we going to rescue the animals from the compound eventually?" Brendon's voice was as soft as it ever got, which meant that it cut through the sound of the stereo completely. He couldn't just leave his animals behind. They were the only friends he had. "I. I can't tell you yes or no, Brendon. I just don't really know." He reached out and took Brendon's hand. If Patrick knew Pete at all, and he liked to think he did after years studying profiles of him, Pete had instructed the baby never be held to keep it from getting attached to anyone or anything other than the animals in the menagerie. Physical contact would be foreign, but it would bond them. Brendon stood the contact for only a moment before moving away. "If we get the chance. When the time comes, I want to rescue them. I have to rescue them." Brendon had a quiet determination about him. He would rescue the only things in the world he cared about; he wouldn't lose them. "Okay." Patrick squeezed Brendon's knee and continued the drive in silence. * "Okay, so. How do we know he's not some little spy planted by Pete?" Jon watched as Brendon stood at a videogame with Gabe, eyes wide at how cool Pac-Man really was on an actual stand up videogame console. "If he is, he's the worst one ever. His intel matches and adds onto the intel we have. And we still have an alive spy on the inside; we already know he's got nothing on ours. He doesn't know anything about us." Patrick kept his voice low, his cap lower. "Because he doesn't think we're a threat. He doesn't think we'll mobilize. And as far as he's concerned, we've got nothing." Joe stretched in his chair, taking large bites from a slice of pizza. He was paying careful attention to the conversation, despite the appearance of his attention being only on his pizza. "We've got everything. We've got Brendon, the pet, and we've got this." Patrick patted his messenger bag, the binder safely inside. "We've got a room tonight at a hotel. You guys'll follow me, and we'll meet there. This is going to be a long meeting." He stood up, indicating they were all to leave. There was no discussing as to where they would meet for directions to the hotel; everyone knew where to go. There was a parking garage in Wicker Park, ideal for the situation they found themselves in. Gabe arrived first, always taking the most obscure back roads and yet always beating everyone. He sat on the hood of his car, waiting for Patrick to arrive. Everyone tried to take different routes and to stagger their arrivals, allowing them to maintain at least a tiny bit of discretion. So far they'd been lucky when it came to not being detected but they knew it was nothing more than luck. "Our room is at the Holiday Inn, Wicker Park. You guys can see what's in the binder then. Death before dishonor, guys." Patrick spoke quietly and quickly. They dispersed, each taking a different route to the inn. Hayley, the girl at the desk, was familiar with the group and knew the protocol. There were keys issued for each guest and each guest checked in with a false identity. Once they were all gathered in the hotel room, Patrick opened the binder and sat Brendon down at the TV with reruns of Alvin and the Chipmunks playing for him. After they'd carefully leafed through it, it was Gabe who cleared his throat and looked up at the rest of them. "We're fucked." * While Brendon was getting introduced to the outside world, William Beckett, an assassin from the Midwest, was trying to talk Pete out of the pantry in the kitchen. "Pete, he was a pet. Pets run away." There was no response, just the sound of a package of food being opened. "You need to come out; you can't let this ruin your plans. There's so much left to accomplish. And you'd be throwing away everything you've worked so hard for. Everything you've done for the past seven years. You don't want that. Not over someone stupid enough to leave the compound, where it's safe." William was practically cooing as he crouched near the door. Everyone else was watching at a safe distance. One of the only things that placated Pete when he was in a mood was William. Ryan just tented his fingers in a far corner of the expansive kitchen. "It's all coming together, just as I foresaw it in the wilderness." The quirk of his lips could almost be mistaken for a sneer, but anyone close by who saw would know that was as close as he got to a smile. "What?" Greta, one of the very few females in Pete's crew, looked over at Ryan and raised one eyebrow. She, along with three friends, formed a subset of Pete's team. Though they jokingly called themselves the Viper Assassin Squad, they actually were referred to as The Hush Sound. Pete had given them the moniker because they were the best at hushing people up. "Nothing." Ryan met her eyes without wavering. She looked away first. No one had forgotten the look of Nick Scimeca laid out on the lawn he'd so lovingly cared for, and no one pretended it was an accident unless they were in the presence of Ryan and Pete. "All right." Greta tossed her hair over her shoulders and began walking away. She gave a sympathetic look at Pete before going to one of the other rooms. Chris, Darren, and Bob were due back later in the day from a mission. There had been a rival group in Florida they'd been called to dispose of and the job had required infiltration, not seduction. Greta was amazing at both, but not when the group could only be infiltrated by boys. "When's the rest of the team in? Pete will want a complete debriefing." Mike Carden hardly looked up from his Blackberry as he spoke with Greta. He was responsible for team coordination. He knew everyone's whereabouts and was constantly asking for status reports from everyone. "They're due back in at three p.m. The last transmission I got from them said they were about twenty miles outside of Joplin. They're taking the scenic route; apparently it looked like they were being tailed for awhile." Greta pulled out her own phone to see if any new information had been received. "And any chance of me debriefing you later?" Mike looked up from his phone and wriggled his eyebrows. "Not even if you paid me, Carden." Greta didn't bother looking up from her phone, choosing to leave the room instead. "One day." Mike turned to Adam Siska, Armory, and nodded confidently. Adam just shrugged in return and turned back to Pete. He looked distraught. Though Brendon had only been a pet, everyone knew how long Brendon had been with him. It wasn't impossible for them to believe that Pete had actually cared for someone other than himself. Ryan had taken a seat next to Pete on the couch, his hand wrapping around the back of his neck. He leaned into Pete, murmuring something into his ear that had Pete's head shooting up after a moment. "Really?" Pete was already standing and leading Ryan away by the hand. "I gotta say, I really don't trust him." One of the team members on general assignment watched Pete disappear into his private quarters with Ryan. It was the last thing he ever said in the company of the group. The next morning, he was found with his throat slit from ear to ear. It was Tom who announced it to the rest of the crew. "So. I." He kept running his fingers through his hair and fidgeting as he approached the dining room table. "Nate's dead, guys. Someone." Tom leaned against the walls, William sliding up to his side and pulling him close. "Don't say anything else, Tom. I saw Ryan leaving his room last night. I don't want to see that happen to you." He cradled Tom close to his chest, stroking his hair to disguise the speaking. "Just keep quiet." Tom looked up and backed away from William. "Are you. What?" Tom's heart was pounding both with fear and excitement. This team would take down itself before the team was a serious threat, especially if Ryan was killing off everyone who got in his way. Unfortunately, Tom didn't live to see how wrong he was. * Because it was Jon who Tom communicated with, it was Jon who figured out something was wrong. There hadn't been any point of contact for three weeks, not even a message relayed from Brent. At most, there was a week lapse between communications. This was unheard of. "He should've sent something. Anything. An email. Sean's about to strangle me." Jon spoke of Tom's roommate and sometimes paramour. Sean was the reason Tom had hesitated so long in going to Pete's compound. In the end, Sean had talked him into it, explaining he'd still be there when Tom got back and they wouldn't have to worry anymore. Jon paced the living room while Spencer brewed coffee for the four of them. Gabe had been assigned to be Brendon's guide that day and he needed coffee more than anyone else. "Three weeks and it's fucking radio silence. There's nothing." "Maybe we can negotiate for him. We have a pretty good bargaining chip and maybe he's just unstable enough that we can bring him out of hiding, arrange a trade, and nab the fucker. Then we bypass all this bullshit." Spencer watched the coffee drip with eerie calm. "Spencer, you know that Patrick won't even consider that. This might. This might be a situation where we. Look, we all knew what could happen. He knew what he was getting into going in there." Gabe tried to speak reason to the other two. "If he's. The fact that he even agreed to go in, that says a lot. He wouldn't want us to just give up like that. Because you've read that binder. Even agreeing to try to negotiate with him? You've already fucking lost, dude. At this point, it's recovery, not a search and rescue." "Maybe Brendon knows if Tom pissed someone off. Maybe Pete somehow found out Tom smuggled Brendon out of the compound. Brendon is his pet, his oldest and dearest pet." Spencer poured coffee into each of the four mugs. "Don't say that about him." Gabe wrapped his hands around two mugs of coffee, ready to take one into the other room for Brendon. "What?" Spencer lost his train of thought for a moment. "Don't refer to him as Pete's pet. He's a person. He was kidnapped," Gabe said. His face was firm on the point. "I don't ever want to hear that again." "Okay. Okay." Spencer held up his hands in a peace effort. "I can ask him if he knows something. About Tom, I mean. He would be completely willing to help. From what I've heard about Tom from Brendon, he was one of the only ones who genuinely cared for Brendon. Aside from Alfred." Gabe smiled as he looked off to the side. He could hear Brendon laughing at cartoons in the other room. "Just don't take him anywhere else so public, okay? Not without some sort of cover." Jon frowned at Gabe. It looked as though the expression strained his muscles. Displeasure was really out of his range as an actor. "Don't worry about it, okay? I'll make sure we're covered next time." Gabe nodded, ducking his head as he walked back into the other room. "Do you honestly think he'll know something?" Spencer spoke in a more hushed tone of voice. He didn't want Brendon hearing just yet. He was still somewhat leery of Brendon. God only knows what Pete had brainwashed him to do, had programmed him to do. "I think he's our best shot without sending another man in there. And I'm not prepared to do that, and I doubt Patrick is either. We need to get another meeting together." They'd met a few days earlier but no one discussed the lack of communication from Tom. Everyone knew what it must have meant and no one wanted to bring it up with Jon around. "I'll see what I can do about setting one up tonight. In the meantime, why don't we clear out and see if Brendon will talk to Gabe when he knows no one is listening? We'll tell Gabe where to meet us." Spencer leaned over and dropped a kiss on top of Jon's head. "We'll find whoever did this to him, and we'll make it right. I promise." * "Well. There were a lot of people who didn't like Tom. Pete, William, Mike, and the Hushies were the only ones who did seem to like him," Brendon slurped away at a frozen coffee drink from Starbucks. He was smiling widely at Gabe, who kept placing a hand on his knee as they were talking. "Hushies?" Brendon laughed at Gabe's confused face and tone. "What the fuck are the Hushies?" "The Hush Sound. They're the elite team. Like. Okay. Um, you know Bonnie Bakely? That woman they said Robert Blake offed? That was like, their audition piece. All three of them come from huge families of this stuff. Greta's grandfather was the shooter on the grassy knoll." Brendon shook his head and leaned back against the couch. "Wait. They. They're assassins?" Gabe's eyes widened considerably. "Brendon, you don't really expect me to believe this, do you?" Brendon slurped at the bottom inch of his drink before looking back up at Gabe. "Who do you think taught me how to shoot? They would never have gotten rid of Tom, though. I think Greta really liked him. Like, you know, like-liked him? Well. Him and Adam, anyway." A snicker escaped his lips before he curled up to Gabe's side and closed his eyes. "Tom's probably dead. It's happened before, to someone who opposed Pete or did something Pete didn't like. There was this guy, Mikey, he used to come and go all the time and then one day he just stopped coming." "Did you know what happened to him?" Gabe had to remember not to squeeze Brendon's side too tightly or he'd get skittish and run off. It had happened many times over the past few days as Brendon stayed with him. Brendon pulled away and nodded, his face instantly closing off. There were certain subjects he wouldn't discuss and most of them had to do with people disappearing. He pulled his hood over his head. "Why did Spencer tell me to stay out of hand-reach of you?" "He thinks I'm some sort of perverted lech. Don't worry, I'm not a lech." Gabe lowered his hat over his eyes and continued trying to move his hand up Brendon's thigh. "You should probably stop trying to touch between my legs. I'm saving myself for true love." Brendon smiled serenely and reached for Gabe's iced drink. "You're not going to finish this, are you?" "No, no, you suck away all you want." That look was back on Gabe's face, the one that said Brendon looked like a very delicious and very exotic dessert. "Uh. Right." The only sound in the apartment for the rest of the afternoon was Brendon sucking noisily on the last of the drink and walking around as he got his bearings. Later in the day, Brendon approached Gabe as he pored over take-out menus. "Gabe, when am I going back to Patrick's?" "Do you like Patrick's place better than here?" Gabe asked. He looked up, stricken. "Well, yeah, it doesn't smell like my socks do if I forget to change them for a few days and then decide to sleep in the menagerie." Brendon hoisted himself up on the counter and looked over at Gabe. "And he doesn't ask me things I don't really understand." "All I did was offer a demonstration of Hide the Cobra!" Gabe held his hands up and backed away from Brendon. The look he got in return said his comments weren't appreciated. "And that's the other thing, you keep mentioning this cobra, this Ron. I'm not really sure what this cobra told you or whatever, but I'm pretty sure you imagined him. Cobras don't talk." Brendon pulled his knees to his chest and spoke with some regret. "I mean, it's cool if you imagined him and everything but. Pete used to imagine monsters and then he went to. Look, I just think I'd rather stay with Patrick." "It's only for a short time. We're not really supposed to say anything, but we're going to be moving in a few days." Gabe walked over and rested a hand on Brendon's knee. "So. You said everything was fine until Ryan came?" "Ryan. He came and all of a sudden Pete didn't have time for me anymore. It's stupid. I mean. He didn't buy Ryan a menagerie. He didn't pick Ryan. Alfred didn't take Ryan from a supermarket for him." Brendon had no delusions about where he came from. "Did Ryan ever say where he was from? Why he came?" Since Brendon wasn't flinching away, Gabe held his position. "Sometimes he talked about it. Like, when he thought no one was listening, he'd tent his fingers and mumble something about his vision and how it was all coming together as it was revealed to him in the wilderness. I think he went into the desert and hallucinated something and was convinced it was a sign from above." Brendon rested his chin on the knee Gabe wasn't currently molesting. "He had a vision?" Gabe's eyes widened and he backed a few steps away. "No. Okay. No. Did you tell Patrick about the vision?" "No? It's a load of phooey anyway. There's no such thing as visions unless you take drugs or get sick. Besides, sometimes he'd do ridiculous things like go into the menagerie and say 'Where my bitches at?' in his stupid monotone. A vision hardly sounds out of the ordinary for someone as weird as him." Brendon dropped his feet back over this counter. "No. If he had a vision about it, it's legit and nothing we do is going to stop it. Andy was right. It's the motherfucking Armageddon! I'm out. I'm so out." Gabe turned on his heel and went to his bedroom. A few moments later, Brendon smelled the usual sweet smoke coming from Gabe's room. Rather than wait for Gabe to come back out to make his usual three boxes of Kraft Dinner, Brendon walked toward Gabe's door. "Gabe, I'm coming in." He walked in, his vision obscured by thick smoke. "You think this is the Armageddon." "Don't you? This is some seriously fucked-up shit here." Gabe brought his pipe back up to his lips and lit it again. "And if the world is ending, fuck that, I'm not staying sober." Brendon rolled his eyes. It was like dealing with a tall, more paranoid version of Pete. He knelt down and took the pipe from Gabe's hand. "The world isn't ending. Ryan's vision isn't going to come true. He probably didn't even have a vision. He probably lied about that." "Seriously, seriously. I had a vision and it led me to Patrick. And the cobra told me that I was going to be involved in the battle at the end of the world." Gabe shook his head and snatched the pipe back. "And now that I know it's fucking happening, I know that I am way too fucking sober to deal with it. So, I'll smoke and then go rescue Mama and Papa and get to an island or something." "Gabe? Listen. Okay, I want you to seriously listen. I trust Tom. I trust that he sent me to the right group of people to make sure that the world doesn't end." Brendon knelt down in front of Gabe and took his hand. "Because if you don't help, if all of us don't help and pull it together? Your mom? Your dad? Your nephews that keep calling and leaving voicemail messages about your brother? They're all going to be dead. And it'll be on your hands." "How do you know that?" "Because, I've seen what Pete and Ryan can do, what they don't even hesitate to do. And I know that I don't want that to happen because he still has the menagerie and Alfred. And I'm not letting Alfred get killed like that." Brendon hadn't told any of them much about Alfred, but Gabe had picked up enough to know that Alfred was the only one Brendon missed on the compound. "So if you just give up on this, it affects more than just you. It affects everyone." Gabe held the pipe against his lips as he considered what Brendon had to say. "All right. We'll do this. But just so you know, we're completely fucked." * "So. Do you guys just sit around all day, trying to figure out how you're going to save the world?" Brendon furrowed his brows in the mirror. He had a pair of tweezers in his fingers, plucking at every stray hair. "No, who the fuck do you think we are? The Justice League? I mean, if we were any superhero group, we'd be The X-Men. I'd be Cyclops and you'd be Marvel Girl. Maybe The Fantastic Four. Reid Richards and Susan Storm." Gabe nodded at his own reflection in the mirror, where he was also plucking his eyebrows. "I'd rather be able to be invisible than be able to move things with my mind." Brendon shook his head and wiped discreetly at his eyes. They were starting to water from all the grooming but Gabe had said that unibrow had to go. There were no ugly people allowed on the side of good. "You're already moving something in me." Gabe smiled brightly at Brendon and rejoiced inwardly when Brendon only moved six inches as opposed to the normal foot. "No, but really. What do you guys do?" Brendon insisted, gripping another hair. "We've all got day jobs. Spencer, you've heard of him. He's Spencer Smith, that kid who graduated from MIT when he was thirteen and went to work for NASA when he was sixteen?" Gabe looked over at Brendon and closed the six inches again. "How did he get in on this?" Brendon moved another six inches away, looking as though he was calculating the amount of time it would take him to get to the wall and whether or not Gabe would stop moving closer by then. "I don't really know. I guess someone he knew growing up kind of got sucked into this whole thing. He started checking his shit. He found Jon and the rest, you'd really have to ask him about." Gabe shrugged, spanning his hand over the six inches. "Patrick?" Brendon couldn't imagine Patrick doing something that wasn't incredibly awesome, like driving around, rescuing kittens from trees or something. "Patrick is actually an elementary school music teacher. Guy's incredible at mechanics and electronics but he says sometimes it's nice to work with something you didn't invent." Gabe shrugged and wiped at his eyes. They were starting to water in the same manner Brendon's were. "And Jon?" Brendon wanted to know the people he was going to be working with. He needed to know they were good people and weren't secretly the kind of people who were going to turn on the team the moment things got hard. "Jon owns a lot of real estate. He inherited a shitload of it from his parents. And now, he works with a non-profit organization that tries to council teens against violence." Gabe shifted over an inch while Brendon wasn't looking. "What about you?" Brendon looked at Gabe from the corner of his eye, watching for any sudden movements. "What about me?" "What do you do when you're not babysitting the bargaining chip." Brendon made a face at the term. "Where did you hear that?" Gabe withdrew his hand and stared hard at Brendon. "Spencer isn't exactly quiet when he talks, you know. I mean. It's cool that you think Pete's sentimental enough to give up world domination for his pet." Brendon tried to sound neutral. "I. He's not supposed to call you that. I told him not to call you that ever again." Gabe tried to reach over and wrap an arm around Brendon's shoulders. "I know. But is that what you guys think? I mean. I know it wasn't normal. It isn't the way most people grew up. Nobody on TV ever grew up like that." Brendon jerked away from Gabe, closing his eyes for a moment. "Whatever. I don't care." And just like that, Brendon's walls were up. "Hey, it doesn't matter. It really doesn't. We know you're not a pet. I know you're not." Gabe kept his hands to himself, not wanting to make Brendon anymore uncomfortable than he clearly already was. "So you grew up differently. Big deal. It's like being the kid with the divorced parents." "If it wasn't for Ryan, I could still be there. I'd be on the compound and Pete and I would be testing the molecular reorganizer on the aloe plants." Brendon set his mirror down and pulled his knees to his chest. "Pete wasn't always all bad. He fired one of the butlers because he didn't think the butler was paying enough attention to me." Gabe mentally went through the list of butlers Pete had gone through. Poor Tony. There hadn't even been enough left to identify the poor son of a bitch. "But he's always been planning to take over the world, to end it." Gabe had to make Brendon realize that fact if they were ever going to get anywhere in this. "He wasn't always going to end it. I think he wanted to end a lot of what was going on. We used to watch the news sometimes and he'd see news reports about Africa and he'd tell me that he was going to change it all, to make it all better than it had ever been before." Gabe was cautious of Brendon speaking like this. It was one thing for him to miss Pete, the only family he'd ever known, but it was another thing entirely for him to start agreeing with Pete. Another entirely dangerous thing. Gabe needed to change the topic. "When I'm not out trying to save the world, one applebottom at a time? I design rooms for Ikea. Like, the showrooms that you see in the stores and catalogues. And sometimes I teach dance lessons. Mostly the salsa and tango, but sometimes the samba." Gabe set his mirror down. "What about you? What did you do at Pete's?" "I was a land surveyor. I went and took pictures for him. You know that." Brendon rolled his eyes. The pictures he took were in the binder. How could Gabe have missed them? "No, that's what you did for him. What did you do for you?" "Oh. I. Well. Sometimes I'd read the stuff that Pete had in the library. Usually I'd go read out loud to the menagerie." Brendon set down his tweezers and began to examine his groomed brows. Gabe was right, they did look much better when they were thinned and separated. "Did you have a real menagerie?" Gabe had heard Brendon mention it several times, but still couldn't figure out if it was an actual menagerie or just what Brendon liked to call the animals on the compound. "Yeah, there was this hot house. I liked to keep smaller animals, but Pete had some big ones. There was a tiger, but he was really gentle. The tiger would sometimes come in and sit down with me when I was in there reading. Pete raised it from when it was just a cub." Brendon trailed off and bit at his lip. He knew there was no way he'd be allowed to leave the side of good for the compound but he was really starting to regret his decision to leave and see the world. With the exception of Ryan Ross, Brendon had been happy on the compound. He had been taken care of and he hadn't had to worry about Pete's intentions. The outside world was severely changing his perception of his own world. Standing up, Brendon wiped at his eyes. When Gabe looked up at him questioningly, Brendon just faked a smile and said, "It stings. All the plucking? Anyway. I'm getting tired. I think I'm going to go to bed." Gabe had been told explicitly that he was not to bother Brendon if Brendon went to bed. It was his time to reflect on what was going on. He'd been made to understand that Brendon was going through a lot and he didn't need someone coming in and offering the guidance of the cobra. He needed someone to make sure he stayed there and didn't decide to leave in the middle of the night because of what he was discovering about the one person who was supposed to love him.

After a few days, Brendon got used to life with Gabe. It meant waking up to the sound of Gabe belting out the lyrics to "I Think I'm Turning Japanese" and "Birdhouse in Your Soul" and having to make a lot more ramen than one person should consume in one sitting. It continued like that until a boy Brendon knew only as Joe knocked on the door to the apartment and Gabe let him in. "Fuck, man. It's confirmed. Like. Tom's been confirmed." Joe was pacing around the room and patting down his jacket, producing a cigarette and lighting it up immediately. "They found the body. Look, Sean's a fucking mess over it. He left the dog with his parents and no one's heard from him since. He's got one of the long-range communicators but he isn't answering it. And one of the BFGs is missing from the armory." "Oh fuck. So it's on." Gabe dashed to his bedroom and pulled out a suitcase. Apparently it had been pre-packed and waiting for some time. "Brendon, there's no time for you to get clean clothes. Just pack everything into your backpack and we'll deal with clothes when we get the fuck out of here." "Oh, it's fine, I can just order more clothes off the Internet and get them delivered to wherever we're staying." Brendon pulled out his wallet and handed the black card over to Gabe without a second thought. "Brendon. Please tell me you haven't been using this card while we've been staying here." Gabe's voice was dangerously even. "I used it to get to Jon's. Well, I took cash out. And then the other day…" He trailed off when he realized both Gabe and Joe were staring at him. "What?" "Okay, we're getting out of here now. Joe. Please tell me you didn't see anyone?" Gabe immediately dropped to the ground. He tugged on Brendon's pant leg. "Get the fuck down, right now." Brendon dropped to the floor with Joe. "We're sneaking out of here, okay? Pete's probably had a trace put on the card, which means he knows you're in this neighborhood, staying here. And the best idea when your enemy is looking for you is to not be in the place where they're going to be looking for you." Cursing a few times under his breath, Gabe began to head to the door. "Joe, I want you to get to a payphone and get in touch with Patrick. We need to move the plan ahead to now. There's no time to wait. Brendon and I are heading there now, okay?" "If there are people out there?" Joe swallowed, still holding onto his cigarette. "Call me and try to get a description. We'll see if Brendon knows them." Gabe looked over at Brendon, whose face had gone blank. The carefully empty expression tugged at Gabe's heart. He knew it was a defense mechanism and it worried him. "All right. I'll go out first? If I don't call in two minutes, call Patrick, fuck the security of the lines." Joe turned to Brendon and wrapped an arm around him. "I know this is fucked up right now but it'll get better when we get to the place. You're saving all our asses so hard right now, Urie." It was the first comment someone had made about asses in Brendon's presence that hadn't ended in a not so subtle attempt to grope him. He nearly cried from relief. "Remember, Joe, good waffles." Gabe knocked fists with him before standing just out of range of any of the windows in the apartment. "Good waffles?" Brendon looked at Gabe as soon as Joe had departed. Gabe didn't answer for a moment, seeming content to stare at his phone in anticipation of Joe's call. Relief flooded his face as the phone vibrated in his hand a minute and a half after Joe left the apartment. Before thumbing it on and speaking into it, Gabe met eyes with Brendon and nodded. "Good waffles, it's what we say before shit really hits the fan. Because good waffles stick together." * At the base, Spencer paced the length of the room. "Patrick's not here yet, guys. This isn't. We can't do this without him." Brendon's eyes followed him as he stalked back and forth. This was at least something he was a little used to seeing. "Oooh, cool. You guys buy the same beakers as Shaant used to." Brendon picked up a beaker of green sludge and began swishing it around. "It was really sad when he blew himself up. I mean, he'd had a ton of accidents like it, so no one was surprised. Well. They were surprised when Shaant bits came flying up the stairs. It was kind of incredible." He set the beaker down and began to walk across the length of the room with Spencer. "So. We're waiting for Patrick?" "We are waiting for Patrick, because contrary to what some assholes think, he is the plan." Spencer shot a look at Victoria, who just scowled in return. "He's the one who knows, can just fucking guess, Pete's plans. He knew about India. He knew that Pete wanted you badly enough that we all had to move out here in the interest of the team. Look, he just knows shit and I don't know if we have another guy out there or if this is something I'm not supposed to know about and I don't know if maybe we're going to have another Tom on our hands and to be honest, I don't know if I can live with that. So, yes. Yes, we're waiting for Patrick." Spencer nodded and abruptly stopped pacing the room. As if on cue, Spencer's phone began ringing with the tone "Damn It Feels Good to Be a Gangster." "Do you really have that as a ring tone?" Brendon covered his mouth to muffle the laughter but it wasn't enough. His entire body shook with what he was trying to hold in. "Seriously. It's lame. Mine is 'Soulja Boy' and it's completely awesome." Gabe began to demonstrate the dance in question before realizing that he was completely alone in it. On occasion, he could convince Ryland to join in. "Shut up." Spencer, who had spent the last few seconds trying to get his phone to answer, snapped. "Patrick? Are you there?" He paused for confirmation before heaving a sigh of relief. "Yeah, we're all here." Another pause and Spencer even brightened. "Good, we'll see you in twenty minutes, then." After hanging up, Spencer nodded at the assembled group of people. "We're in it again." When Patrick showed up, he was dragging three fairly young boys behind him and trying to explain something to them. "Guys, these are Marshall, Singer, and Cash. Sean had been working with them on trying to get some sort of surveillance into Pete's place and since. Well, we can't get a hold of Sean, we're going to have to go with these three and the information they have." Brendon narrowed his eyes. These three looked familiar and he tried to recall where he had seen them. Almost without thinking about it, Brendon blurted out, "Pete knows about them." Everyone looked over at him and took in his exclamation. The other three seemed to notice him for the first time. "What do you mean Pete knows about them?" Spencer asked, voice full of caution. "I mean he has information on them." Brendon went to the table, where the binder with The Plan was sitting. After flipping through the binder for a moment, Brendon stopped on one of the pages and held it open for everyone else to see. "Look. Alex Marshall, Alex 'Singer' DeLeon, and Cash Colligan. He knows all about them. He knew they were onto something." He holds up a picture of the three of them with two other boys. The two other boys had larges Xs over their faces. "Ryan took the other two out." "That. Is that what happened to Johnson?" The color drained from Cash's face. Brendon nodded and for a moment seemed to go blank. Gabe walked up behind him and pressed a hand to the small of his back. "Hey, do you guys want to maybe talk about this later?" Joe looked down at the ground and kicked his feet before agreeing with Gabe. "We all knew the risks going in. Johnson and Ian knew. They didn't have to agree to it." "Those were our friends. Teammates." Cash clenched his fists and looked over at Joe with anger. "Do you see Tom anywhere? No, you don't. We don't know where the hell he is but we're going forward with this. He knew the risks, especially the risks of actually going in. If we can continue without him, you three can sure as hell deal without…" "Can all of you just shut up? If we don't do this, that's it. Game over. I didn't get out of there for that to happen." Brendon seemed to get strength from Gabe's hand rubbing across his back. "I'll tell you what I know if you swear that you guys are in this." "And why should we trust you? I know who you are. I know what you are." Marshall shook his head and looked over at Brendon. "You're his pet." Both Brendon and Gabe tensed but Brendon took Gabe's hand rather than let him lunge forward at Marshall. "Let me make one thing very, very clear to you. Brendon is not someone's pet. He was a child, a kidnapped child. If I ever hear you refer to him as that again, I'll turn you over to Pete. And I won't feel at all bad about it because you have no idea what you're talking about." Gabe's entire body was shaking as he tried to keep calm. "Am I understood?" The three boys exchanged a sheepish look. Finally, Singer nodded. "Brendon, will you really tell us what happened?" "In as much detail as you'd like." Brendon promised, trying not to flush when Gabe squeezed his hand. "We're in." Cash nodded and stuck out his hand to shake Patrick's. "And. I'm sorry, I didn't. I don't know what happened to you there." Brendon nodded by way of accepting the apology. After the rest of the introductions were made, The Plan was pulled out and Brendon once again went through it. "His next move is scheduled to be a terrorist action within Macy's. He plans on doing it at night, when there isn't anyone there." Brendon held up a page from the binder. "We need to be there." "It's too dangerous for you to be there," Spencer shook his head and tried to shake Jon's hands from his shoulders. "We can't have you there. If he knows we have you, we're on the move again." "It's the only way to stop him. If he's there, he won't be able to keep away from me." Brendon shrugged. "I know if he catches me, I have to go back. And. It'll mean a lot of dealing with the police. I might even have to meet my parents. But if I'm willing to do that to help, shouldn't you let me?" Brendon's calves flexed as he stood up on his tiptoes. "Brendon…" Spencer started. "No, I think we should let him." Patrick spoke up. Aside from Gabe, Patrick had the most contact with Brendon and knew the extent of the damage that Pete had done. "So. Macy's?" "Mhm. He's. He always planned on having it blown up at night, to remove a large consumerist center. I think if he had his way, he'd probably get rid of all of the locations in the Northeast. He always said he just wanted to start over." Brendon flipped a few pages further in and pointed to a schematic. "He said he'd set off charges in here. They'd blow up a pack of thermals on the main level. He consulted a few engineers to make sure that it would implode the building rather than explode it." "How kind. Do we know which one and when?" Jon bit at his lower lip and looked down at the schematic. "I mean. I don't really like the idea of having to monitor all Macy's for the rest of time." "No, it's the one in midtown Manhattan. And he said. It was going to be for his birthday. His birthday present to himself." Brendon shook his head and covered his mouth with his hand, stifling a yawn. "Hey, if you're getting tired, you can probably go to sleep." Gabe looked to the others for confirmation. "Um. Do you mind if we come talk to you? You know, about Johnson and Ian?" Marshall asked Brendon quietly, not wanting another outburst from him. "I don't know if that's such a…" Gabe shook his head until Brendon cut him off. "It's fine. I'll. We'll go talk." Brendon met Gabe's eyes. Gabe nodded, trying to convey with his eyes that he'd be in after to check on Brendon. All that came through was a leer that made everyone else in the room grimace. "O-Okay. So, let's go." Marshall took Brendon's arm and guided him out of the room. The converted warehouse had several antechambers that everyone had called for bunk rooms. Patrick, Joe, Gabe, and Brendon were using one, Jon and Spencer were using another, several operatives who had yet to arrive were set up in a few of the other rooms and Marshall, Singer, and Cash had been instructed to take another. Exposed pipes lined the ceilings and the walls, letting off sounds whenever liquids passed through them. Brendon settled on his small cot and looked at the three boys who had followed him. "How much do you…" "All of it. Whatever you saw, whatever rumors you heard, anything." Cash hadn't bothered to get confirmation from his other friends so Brendon waited to hear what they had to say. "All of it," Marshall confirmed after looking at Singer. "Okay. Well. Pete was having cameras planted inside the governor's office and the White House. He dug around and found your guys' business. It didn't take much research for him to find out you were the best of the best." Brendon curled his fingers into the hem of his blanket. The story didn't end well and Brendon had always hated telling those stories. "So. He hired you guys and you sent Johnson and Ian, right? Well. Pete researched them a little more, and he found out about their connection to Sean. I didn't know who it was at the time. So. He told Ryan, and Ryan promised he would take care of it." "And you didn't think to tell someone? You knew what that meant, didn't you?" Cash had to be restrained by Singer and Marshall. "I did! But who was I supposed to tell? Everyone there is on his side! Everyone there except Alfred thinks this is okay. I did what I could by getting the hell out of there." Brendon got defensive and once Marshall had calmed Cash down, he continued. "Okay, so. I. I was on my way to the menagerie and I looked into the garage to see if Greta was in there because she actually really likes the animals, and sometimes she likes to hang out in the garage to watch Adam without his shirt on, putting away the guns." "Point, Brendon," Marshall said through clenched teeth. "Get there." "Right, right. Okay. I looked in the garage and. Ryan had Johnson and Ian on their knees and he killed them execution-style. There was so much blood everywhere. I remember watching Alfred come out from the garage and his hands were just covered in it. And then I went into the garage and I saw them. They were just laying there. I couldn't even look at their faces." Brendon stops just before saying they didn't have faces any longer. "Did they die right away?" Singer pressed. "They did. Ryan is always efficient." Brendon could feel his stomach turn and he was a short moment away from vomiting. "I. No more, please." "You said as much detail…" "He said no more. I think it's time for you guys to go to bed." Gabe appeared in the doorway and looked down at the three boys sharing his cot. "We just want to know what happened to our friends." Singer looked a little more relaxed than before. "I don't care, okay? I don't want him getting freaked out. You're already making him picture some fucked-up shit. They're dead. And Pete probably had the bodies destroyed. I didn't say anything when Brent suddenly went missing, okay? Never let him know what can hurt you." Gabe sat down next to Brendon and touched his knee. Brendon didn't flinch and Gabe counted the move as a win. "I just want to go to sleep." Brendon mumbled, trying to climb under the covers. "I'll make sure no one bothers you, okay?" Gabe stood and patted the top of Brendon's head. "Out, guys." One by one, the three boys exited the room and Gabe settled in on his cot. "If they bother you again, just let me know. I don't want you getting upset." "Why are you being so nice to me?" Brendon still hadn't grasped that occasionally people didn't just blurt out whatever was on their minds. "I guess I kind of know what you're going through." Gabe shrugged and sat up a little. "I came here from another country and it was a whole other thing to get used to. And I'm not saying that I saw what you saw or anything, but I remember what it's like to feel out of place and like your ideals don't match up with everyone else's. You probably don't think that everything Pete is doing is terrible, right?" "It isn't. He doesn't want to kill anyone. I think he just wants. Like. If you look at it, look at the log book and everything, the only people he's killed are the people trying to stop him and the people he genuinely believes are bad people. It's Ryan that kills indiscriminately. And I can't handle that. Pete even. He has an island, you know? Anyone he's kidnapped to help with the plan who actually helped? They're on that island right now. They aren't dead." Brendon rolled onto his side to look at Gabe. "He just wants people to be nicer to each other. And I think we can all get on board with that." "I guess. But. And I know this is where we lose you, but what makes it his choice? How come he gets to be the one to make these decisions for everyone in the world? The ends really don't justify the means here." Gabe was tempted to move his cot closer but he wasn't willing to push his luck. He'd already gotten to actually put his arm around Brendon without Brendon flinching or looking pale. "I think he thinks he can do it because nobody else is doing it. We're just watching all of this happen and we're watching it so passively." Brendon propped his chin on his palm and shrugged after a moment. "I don't know, I just want to rescue my menagerie and Alfred. Maybe Greta. The rest of the people, they aren't bad people, you know? Well, some of them were. Some of them really were. But by and large, they were good people with these amazing talents. Greta could shoot a nickel off Chris's head at a hundred feet. She could calculate wind and how it would affect the bullet's path. I mean, I've been trained, but even I can't do that." "Brendon, they also kidnapped you. They kept you on a compound and didn't educate you, didn't give you a chance to see anything for yourself." "I've been educated. Alfred taught me everything. I'm kind of crappy at English, but I'm really kind of awesome at calculus and physics." Brendon grins at the thought of his textbooks in his bedroom. "Did they ever give you a choice about what you were going to be doing with that education? Did you ever get to say 'Hey, I want to be a doctor and work in South America' or 'You know, it'd be kind of cool to be a kindergarten teacher?'" Gabe was getting frustrated with Brendon's inability to see his point. They'd stifled him. It was worse than kidnapping him; they'd never taught him anything about the real world. "You don't get it, Gabe. That stuff wasn't real to me. Jobs didn't exist. Until I started leaving the compound to do recon? I didn't even really think about what was out there. I saw movies and thought that the people in them were weird for working for a magazine. If you don't know about something, it doesn't occur to you to ask why you don't do it. I didn't even think about kindergarten teaching because there were no other kids as far as I knew." Brendon tugged the covers up to his chin. "So. If you're only being nice because you feel bad for me, then forget it. I don't need that." "I just. I wish you could see my point, Brendon. I'm. You get some rest, and I'll stay awake until Joe and Patrick come in here for the night." Outside of the antechamber, Spencer and Patrick were whispering furiously to each other. "No, you know what that thing is capable of. Even if it sees you, it isn't going to stop." "Shut up, Patrick. I just need to get close enough to rewire it." Spencer shook his head, linking his fingers with Jon's. "That's not going to work. It'll kill you before you even get close enough to look at the latch to the circuit panel." Patrick leaned against the wall and tugged his hat lower. "I will. I know its weaknesses. You never, ever design something without a flaw to take it down. I know what it is." Spencer cracked the knuckles on one hand and Joe winced. "I know you were trying to prove a point right there, but seriously that is going to give you so much arthritis when you're older." As usual, Joe was trying to keep the mood light for everyone else's sake. "And I probably can't kiss swollen, arthritic knuckles when we're in bed. I'd feel like I was doing my grandmother." Had Jon said that in the tone Joe had, everyone else might have been able to dismiss it. "Okay, when did you even have time to sneak off and smoke?" Spencer's irritation with Patrick was momentarily forgetten when he looked over at Jon. "When I said I was going to the bathroom. I mean, I did go to the bathroom, but I didn't do number two like I said I did. I smoked." Jon sort of laughed and leaned into Spencer's neck. "Does this mean I can't do guard duty tonight?" "Yes, Jon, that's exactly what it means. It also means you're going to bed lonely and unsatisfied, okay?" Spencer moved away from Jon and crossed his arms. "Okay, get to bed. I'm going to take first watch. If Alex and Ryland show up, I'm going to send them in to Patrick." "Why not me?" "The fuck? Seriously? Go eat Cheetos in the cot or something; I'll deal with you in the morning." Spencer rolled his eyes and went to the warehouse entrance as everyone else trudged to bed. * In the middle of the evening, Ryland and Alex showed up at the warehouse, fresh from recon in Antarctica. Spencer debriefed them and brought them up to speed on what was going on. "Do we really have the pet?" "We have Brendon; don't let Gabe hear you call him a pet." Spencer had taken Gabe's words to heart, trying to remember that it was like leaving home and going to work for NASA at sixteen. He'd been lucky enough to get away after only a few years, but he knew Brendon had been at the compound for longer. "He's. Just try to understand what he's been through. We don't need him shutting down for a week because one of you said the wrong thing. He's our best link to Pete and how Pete's mind works." "When can we meet him?" Ryland looked around as if he expected Brendon to walk out at any moment. "In the morning. Get some rest; Patrick is going to want to talk to you guys in the morning, find out everything you found out." Spencer waved them through the room toward their antechamber. "Who else is due in?" Alex looked around at the various bags and whatnot that people had left around the warehouse. "It looks like almost everyone is here." "The word is still out to get Nick and Tyson in here. Travis' team isn't coming here; they're currently monitoring Macy's." Spencer shook his head. "Macy's?" Alex's face changed to one of confusion. "We've got some information that's led us to believe Pete's targeting it for demolition within the next 48 hours. I don't want to see that happen." Spencer reached for the binder, determined to comb through it again. "Just go to bed. You're going to need your rest for tomorrow." Alex nodded to Spencer and then exchanged a look with Ryland. "All right, we'll go to bed." They stood up in unison and ducked out of the main room. Once out of sight, Alex slipped his hand into Ryland's and spoke quietly into his ear. "They know what we know now; we'll be fine." "I just want to see if Patrick's up. I don't know what to think about us having Brendon here. For all we know, he's got some sort of trigger and he's going to kill us." Ryland looked down at Alex and pecked the corner of his mouth. "I don't think that he's something to worry about. You know Patrick wouldn't do anything he didn't think was the best. You trusted him before, so just trust him again." Alex squeezed Ryland's hand and led him away from the entrance to the antechamber closest to the main room. He knew Patrick was in there and he needed to sleep. Ryland considered that for a moment and nodded. "Do you think Brendon knows about Victoria?" "If he does, we're not asking him about it. You heard what Spencer said. If he shuts down, we know that he's useless to us." Alex dropped his bags at the foot of his cot and sat down on it. "You've heard the stories, and we all heard the stories from Tom's communications. That's what Tom saw as a newly hired chef. Imagine what Brendon's seen." Ryland sat down on his cot before looking over at Alex. "You really think we have a chance in this?" "No. I really don't. But I think I'd rather go out fighting." Alex dropped back against the thin mattress. * "All right, we have word from Travis that the charges were installed last night." Spencer pulled up pictures from a server they were all trained to use. There were several shots of people only Brendon seemed to recognize, entering and exiting the building through a service entrance. Halfway through the pictures, Brendon stood up and started pacing while Spencer spoke. "As you can see, we don't have details on exactly what was put in. Brendon, do you have any idea who these people are?" It took him a moment to nod and scrub a hand over his face. "Yeah, yeah, that's Michael and Butcher. Like. I don't know what to even tell you. Butcher knows everything about chemicals. We're dealing with some really, really powerful explosives right now." He looked over at Gabe, fear evident in his voice. "And they're going to be going off tonight?" Patrick spoke in a calm manner, trying to get Brendon to calm down with him. He saw the way Brendon looked over at Gabe and made a mental note to ask Gabe on the way to Macy's tonight. "Tonight, it's his birthday. His thirtieth. He always wanted it to start going down then." Brendon flexed his fingers the way Spencer did right before cracking them but chose instead to stuff them in his pockets. "And you're sure he won't do it during business hours." Gabe reached over and touched Brendon's arm, trying to ground him and remind him what they were doing, why they were doing it. "He won't. He wouldn't want to hurt all those innocent people." Brendon shook his head, knowing that he was telling the truth. "But he's willing to destroy that piece of history." Ryland spoke up. "People cling to the past and don't think enough about the future." Brendon parroted without thinking. When he realized everyone was staring at him, his cheeks went red. "Sorry. I. That's what he used to say." Everyone stayed silent for a moment before Patrick spoke up. "Okay, well, at least we have the why and the when. We can work from there. Tonight, we'll deploy. Ryland, you and Alex are going to check Grand Central. Disashi will be able to fill you in on everything they know about locations of the charges." Brendon was staring over at Patrick with something akin to hearts in his eyes. "Jon, you're going to stay here with Brendon. We're going to need to use the long-range communicators. And Brendon, we're going to get you to walk us through what you know before and then again on the communicators." Spencer was still glaring at Jon, who had the decency to look down at his information package. "No. I'm going," Brendon said. "I already told you. I'm going to be there. I want to be there when he sees that I helped with this. That I know what he did was wrong now." He looked away from Patrick with difficulty and stared at Spencer. "I need to be there." "I don't really think that's such a good idea…" Spencer began. "I won't tell you a thing, then." Brendon shrugged and leaned back in his chair. "I know you think it's a risk but remember, you only get one shot at this. I wouldn't want you to screw it up. Like you guys keep saying, this isn't just about us. Please, okay? If I didn't think that I belonged there, I wouldn't ask to go." Brendon chewed on his bottom lip. "I wouldn't. I'd stay here, but I know that I can help more by being there. I can help so much. I know how he'll react and if he's there, I'll be able to help you get him." "I think we should all be there. Or if not on site, then definitely nearby. If it goes pear-shaped and anyone is back here, they're no safer than anyone at the site." Cash spoke up from his spot. He looked over at Brendon and nodded. "It's like I keep saying, good waffles, you know?" Joe leaned over his coffee cup, rubbing sleep from his eyes. "I'd feel better if Brendon were there." "Then consider him your responsibility while we're there," Spencer spoke shortly. "We're leaving in an hour. Take only what you need for tonight. If it does go to shit tonight, we won't be needing anything we're leaving behind here anyway." * Brendon was sitting on his cot, looking at his stuffed lemur, when Gabe walked in. "How are you holding up?" "I'm worried. If this goes badly, it's all my fault." Brendon wrapped himself around the stuffed animal before looking up at Gabe. "Promise me that he deserves this. Aside from kidnapping me, promise me that he has the wrong idea about everything else." "Hey, you know he's got the wrong idea. Even if he doesn't want to destroy the planet, he doesn't have the right to make these decisions for everyone else. And if he does want to blow this all up, you don't want to see the world destroyed. That's why you escaped." Gabe crouched in front of Brendon and pressed a hand to his knee. "Besides that, there's no way the cobra would allow an applebottom that fine to be taken out." Brendon rolled his eyes and collapsed on his back. "I'm still not even sure why you keep mentioning my butt, but it's so weird, Gabe." "Mostly because one day I'm going to get my hands on it. I'd like to make sure it's still around when I get to." Gabe grinned and kissed the top of Brendon's head. "Remember, pack only what you need." When Gabe exited the room, he physically ran into Spencer. "We need to talk," Spencer said. He took a hold of Gabe's arm and dragged him to a corner of the main room. "Whoa, Smith, what's going on?" Gabe rubbed his arm where Spencer's fingers had dug in. "This thing with you and Brendon. You keep your distance from him when we move out. I don't need to lose a man because they couldn't keep their head where it was supposed to be." Spencer cocked out one hip and crossed his arms. "I don't want to see anyone get hurt who doesn't have to. And Pete doesn't need to know that Brendon might have bonded with people on the outside. The more Pete believes that Brendon is on his side, the better chance we have of getting him." "He was right. You are just using him as bait." Gabe took a step back to look at Spencer. "You're planning on using him to draw Pete out of hiding." "As far as we know, this is the only person Pete has ever loved in his life. I don't think I'm being ridiculous in assuming that he'll try to rescue Brendon and take him back to the compound. As soon as we get a clear shot of Pete, we're taking it." Spencer tried to keep any inflection out of his voice. He'd gotten attached to Brendon, but their plan had always had 'By any means necessary' as a post-script. "If you think you're going to use him as bait, and that you're going to take him out if you have to take him out to get to Pete, you have another thing coming. Don't ever forget that he's a human life or you're no better than him." Gabe imitated Spencer's position and stared down at him. "The second you do start thinking that way, I want you to think of Jon getting taken out as collateral damage." "That's not the same situation at all." "Not yet. And it won't ever be if we let him die tonight. Even if you're only thinking of it in your terms, if he gets lost tonight, you lose your biggest bargaining chip and I know how much you'd hate that." Gabe sneered at the last phrase and took a step back. "We're going to be successful tonight, okay? I can feel it. We're not going to have to worry any longer." "I hope you're right." Spencer's face remained the same. He no longer allowed himself to get his hopes up, not when it came to Pete. * "I know I shouldn't get excited about this, but this is. It's kind of amazing." Brendon's eyes shone as they traveled down the highway. "I'm just. The only thing I'm nervous about is Pete. When I see him. I mean, I've never wanted him to get hurt and I've read about reactions in situations like this. Stockholm Syndrome and everything. I don't want him hurt because I've come to care about my kidnapper." "We're going to do everything we can so he doesn't get hurt, okay?" Patrick wrapped a comforting arm around Brendon's shoulder, not noticing the way Gabe was watching them carefully from the bench behind. "I know you guys think it's wrong and everything, but. He really is the only family I have." Brendon shrugged and turned only his head to look at Patrick. "I mean. He's crazy and he's trying to do something that's bad, but he's mine. Sometimes I have a lot of trouble with that." "When this is over, if you want, we can try to find your real family." Patrick leaned in and murmured straight into Brendon's ear. "We can try to find them and if you want, you can meet them again. But it's all up to you." "Can. Would it be possible to find them and maybe not meet them right away?" Brendon chewed on his lower lip. It was difficult for him to imagine meeting a mother and a father and maybe siblings. It was possible there were other children who looked like him, who had the same crooked teeth he had when he was younger. "If that's what you want, then that's what we'll do. Or we can go in and pre-screen them or something." Patrick nodded and squeezed Brendon's shoulder, suddenly uncomfortably aware of how Gabe was watching him. He turned around and saw the look of anger in Gabe's eyes. He saw him mouth the words 'my applebottom.' Patrick raised his eyebrows and carefully removed his arm from around Brendon's shoulders. "I think that's how I'd like to do it." Brendon nodded and played with the zipper on his hoodie before lifting his head to look at Patrick. "We're really going to do this, then, aren't we?" "It's on tonight." Gabe reached around and hugged Brendon from behind. "But you're staying with Jon." "Wait, with Jon? He. Is that going to be safe?" Brendon tried to think of a tactful way to say he thought Jon was maybe a little differently abled than everyone else on the team. Patrick fought a grin; he'd heard of their first meeting. "Trust me, that's probably going to be the safest place for you while Nick and Tyson go in and look at the charges." "We're sending in Wheeler and Ritter to look at the charges?" Joe, who was in the driver's seat, kept his eyes on the road. "Look, you and I have both seen what Nick and Tyson did to that one bomb in London. Sykes didn't have a fucking chance. If there's something and we don't know what it is, you're damn right I'm going to send them in." Patrick did his best to avoid looking at the way Gabe was nuzzling Brendon and how Brendon seemed to be of the opinion that Gabe was the type of animal who couldn't see him if he didn't move. "Okay, if you trust them with this." Joe turned into a parking lot not quite in the city. "We're taking the train from here." "Wouldn't it be faster to drive?" Brendon tried to worm from Gabe's arms. "Not that far into the city. Look, just trust us on this." Gabe kept his arms tight around Brendon. "You and Jon are going to wait until we have contact from Pete. You're the one that's actually going to be talking to him." "And we're going to be there with you. Me, Spencer, Gabe, Jon, Joe. Anyone you want in there." Patrick looked over at Brendon and slipped a hand into his. Thankfully, Gabe was too busy trying to tie Brendon's hoodie strings to his own to notice. * It wasn't quite the scene any of them had imagined, not when they really thought about it. In everyone's mind, Pete was the tyrannical force that stood taller than the Empire State Building and had the craziest eyes anyone had ever seen. Nobody really expected the short dude with bags under his eyes and a weary expression on his face. Patrick was frantically shouting orders through the communicators to Nick and Tyson while they relayed exactly what they were dealing with. Plastic explosives were nothing new to them and they were trying to keep Patrick calm as he scouted from a window in a neighboring building. Really, they weren't concerned. It was a matter of disassembling the triggers and removing the plastic explosives. Whoever built the bombs were total amateurs; they hadn't even bothered with slip triggers. When Brendon heard that over the communicators, he couldn't help but smirk. Butcher was going to be pissed if he ever found out they'd said that. The moment the row of black SUVs pulled up, Patrick knew this was really it. There was no going back. For all his nerves and anxiety, Brendon was surprisingly calm. It was as though he'd been waiting his whole life for this moment. Cracking his knuckles and earning a reproachful look from Joe, Brendon picked up the disposable cell phone they'd built and dialed Pete's cell phone number. "A1 Accountemps, Greta speaking, to whom may I deliver your call?" Greta chirped on the other end of the phone. "Greta, it's Brendon." He didn't get any further than that before she was speaking again. "Brendon? What the fuck? Where are you?" Greta hissed. "Don't draw any attention to this call. I just want to talk to Pete." Brendon watched through the window as she stepped out of her vehicle and walked to the one second from the end. "Nobody else should know who is on the phone, okay?" "Okay, okay, Jesus. Where have you been? Where are you? Pete's been a fucking basketcase without you. Even Bill hasn't been able to calm him down." The SUV door opened and Brendon saw Greta hand the phone over to the person inside. "Alfred, I don't have time for phone calls right now." Pete's voice sounded tired, even to Brendon, who had heard him immediately after he got out of the hospital. "Pete? It's…" "Brendon? Where are you? Who has you? Are you all right?" Pete's voice instantly perked up. If Brendon hadn't been aware of everything Pete had done, he might almost mistake the tone as care for him. "I'm fine. I'm not being unnecessarily harmed or frightened." Brendon began, trying to keep the tone light. "Don't Patty Hearst me, okay? If you can't talk freely, I want you to say you like Moz better than The Smiths." "I can talk freely. I just want to talk to you for a minute." Brendon sat on the window ledge and looked down at Pete's vehicle. "What happened then? Why did you go?" Pete sounded so small, so young for a moment that Brendon almost forgot who was the master and who was the pet. "I can't talk about that right now. I just want you to know it was something I had to do. I didn't have a choice." Brendon wasn't lying, per se. He didn't have a choice, but he could have told Pete he was leaving. "Where are you right now? I know you're not in that apartment you were staying in anymore. Can I come to you?" Pete stepped out of the car and Brendon watched Ryan follow him out. There was a gasp beside him and Brendon was almost shocked to hear it come from Spencer. His entire face had gone pale. "Hold on." Brendon covered the mouthpiece of the phone and turned to look at Spencer. "Are you okay?" Spencer just shook his head and covered his mouth with his hand. "Does he want to meet? Try to set up a meeting and make sure he brings Ryan." Brendon raised his eyebrows because Ryan was still too new to be in the binder; there was no way Spencer could know who he was if Tom was really dead. "You don't want Ryan here." "I do, though." Spencer nodded, still looking down at the boy standing with Pete. "No, you don't. He killed Nick, and I'm pretty sure he killed Tom, and I don't even know who else because this is out of hand. He can't. I don't think he can feel things for anyone." Brendon made sure his hand was tightly over the mouthpiece, not allowing any of the sound in. "He can feel things, trust me." Spencer crossed his arms and gave Brendon the look that Brendon had come to associate with Jon and Gabe disappearing into the bathroom right before they had an important meeting. After the important meetings, Spencer would usually join them. "Yes, we want to meet. I mean, I want to meet you. And Ryan. Can you bring Ryan?" Brendon still wasn't sure about this. Brendon had no doubt that it would lead to certain death for all of them. "Yes, I can bring Ryan. Where are we meeting? I'll go anywhere." Pete began pacing on the sidewalk. "Where?" Brendon turned and whispered to Spencer. "The pizza place on the dining concourse of Grand Central." Spencer set his jaw. "Tell him if I so much as see anyone else on his team in there, he's dead where he stands." "Okay, Pete? There's a pizza place on the dining concourse of Grand Central Station. We're going to meet there and it's going to just be you and Ryan, right?" Brendon tried to take a deep breath but he found that his chest was tight. "Are you coming with someone?" Pete began making hand signals to the rest of the convoy of vehicles. "Yes, I'll have people with me." Brendon looked around the room. He knew it was going to be time soon and he knew he was likely going to have to make some concessions. "I'll have two people with me. You can bring Ryan and anyone but a Hushie. I don't want someone getting trigger-happy." "That's all I can bring?" Pete looked around, probably trying to determine who could go with him for this. "I'm bringing two people and neither of them are sharpshooters." Brendon folded his arms. It was time for him to take his stand. "I don't want to see this end badly for anyone, Pete." "All right. I'm going to bring Bill and Ryan." Pete turned to face the building Brendon was in, momentarily worrying Brendon that he'd somehow found out their position. "I. You'll explain it to me then?" "I'll explain as much as I can. You have twenty minutes to get there." Brendon flipped the phone shut and looked back at Spencer and Patrick. "We're going in." "What about me?" Gabe piped up from his spot at the other window. "You're not going in there without me." "Yes, Gabe, we are. I don't want to break my word to Pete and I don't." Brendon stopped there, chewing his lower lip before walking over. He hesitated a moment before touching his lips to Gabe's. "I don't want you doing something stupid to try to save my applebottom." Anything anyone said after that was lost on Gabe, who was staring at Brendon, making actual fingerhearts. "Jon, you stay here with him and Joe. You let us know right away if anyone, and I mean anyone, steps out of those cars." Patrick tuned their transmitters to the same frequency as the receivers while Spencer wrapped a hand around the back of Jon's neck and pulled him in for a harsh kiss. "Patrick? Any chance of you letting me send you into battle that way?" Joe wriggled his eyebrows and Brendon couldn't do anything but laugh. Patrick joined in and Joe frowned slightly. "Man, I was just trying to give you some good luck." "They don't need luck." Jon shook his head and kissed Spencer once more. "I want to know everything from the time you enter Grand Central, to the time you meet up with Pete." He slid his fingers through Spencer's belt loops and Brendon had to look away. Private moments were private moments no matter how you dressed them up. "We've got Cash and Marshall checking out the perimeter of the building and we're getting reports back from them every five minutes. Singer is inside at the Starbucks by 37. He's going to keep an eye on the entrance to the dining concourse on that end." Joe recovered quickly from his pouting to pull out his phone and check the status. "You guys should be getting out there anyway. I don't want him getting suspicious." "All right, guys. Good waffles." It was the first time Brendon got a chance to say it and he smiled at the sound of it. "I've got a good feeling about this, too." Brendon willed the good feeling to last with him when he found out they had to take the stairs down fifteen flights. He recognized the lobby of the building and tried to figure out the best way to get into Grand Central. Avoidance of detection was key. "Okay, we're going in." Brendon went to the entrance and walked in. It wasn't as crowded as he would've liked for cover but it would have to do. He walked down the concourse and held his breath. As long as Spencer and Patrick were with him, he'd be safe. "The pizza place," Brendon mumbled, under his breath. "We have to get there." "We're not that far from it. I promise," Spencer said, leading Brendon down the hall and pulling him down a ramp. All of a sudden, Brendon found himself in front of the pizza place and he saw Pete sitting with Bill and Ryan. For a moment, Brendon wasn't sure what was going on. He saw Ryan's eyes widen and the way Spencer took a step back from the group. "Brendon?" Pete stood up and wrapped his arms around Brendon, crushing him into a hug. "I've missed you." Pete buried his face in Brendon's neck, inhaling deeply. "Pete, we." Brendon paused and took a step back. He had no idea how to tell Pete that they had to talk about how Brendon wasn't going to go back to Pete's compound. "Maria's missed you, too. She just keeps looking at the door to the hothouse like she keeps expecting you back." Pete seemed like he was about to say something else but he noticed Patrick at that point. "Who did you bring with you?" "This is Patrick and Spencer." Brendon pointed over his shoulder at them. "Spencer?" Everyone turned to look at Ryan when he spoke. "Spencer, are you really here?" "Hi, Ryan." Spencer looked as blank as Brendon had during the questioning about Pete's actual motives. "I thought it was you when Brendon started talking about you." "Wait, what?" Brendon turned to look at Spencer, managing to tear his gaze from Ryan. "Spencer, you didn't tell them?" Ryan cocked his head to the side, inflection not changing. "I didn't know what to tell them, how to tell them." Spencer shook his head and took a step toward Ryan. He reached out for his hand but Ryan moved back. "Tell them that you're not in this the way they are." Ryan arched an eyebrow. "Spence, what is he saying?" Nobody could help but notice the two of them and the way they seemed to orbit each other, but it was Patrick who chose to comment about it. "He. Guys, this is Ryan. When I was in school, my parents were concerned because I wasn't making a lot of friends because of my advanced work and everything. They wanted me to make friends." Spencer twisted his hands behind his back and tried to approach Ryan. "So you made friends with Ryan and he's the friend you had who got too deep into Pete's shit?" Patrick looked as though he was trying to wrap his head around this fact. "This is the friend I made who got too deep into Pete's shit." Spencer managed to dart a hand out and catch Ryan's wrist. From there, he managed to do something no one had realized was possible, he popped open a panel on Ryan's wrist and exposed wiring. "Holy shit. This is the friend you made who got too deep into Pete's shit." Patrick took a step back and looked at Ryan. "You're a fucking robot?" "He programmed me to care about him, you know? He programmed me as best he could." Ryan tried to pull his wrist back. "I did, Ryan. I didn't realize you would know that I was gone." Spencer touched a few of the wires before looking up at Ryan. "I didn't think I'd managed to work out the kinks with the time sensors. And I didn't really have a choice about leaving." "Spencer, you left. I was in that closet forever. And I got out and I didn't know what to do because you weren't there." Ryan continued in the same monotone. Only then did Brendon realize he'd never heard Ryan speak with any sort of emotion in his voice. "I powered you down. You weren't supposed to be able to turn back on." Spencer's voice was soft and he almost sounded ashamed of himself. "You only punched in the evening power down. I waited in that closet for years. I waited for 1825 days. When it was 1826, I waited for your parents to be gone at work and your sisters to be gone at school and I gathered my stuff and left. I wanted to look for you. You didn't tell me you were going." Ryan took his arm back and closed the wiring panel. "Ryan. I didn't know. I wouldn't have done that." Spencer reached for him again. "I really wouldn't have. You know? I did everything I could to make you real." Brendon watched the exchange in awe, as did Patrick. In actuality, Brendon wasn't surprised. It certainly explained a lot more of Ryan's behavior. "Did you really kill those people?" Spencer asked, flipping open Ryan's wiring again, studying the circuits. "I didn't know how else to handle it. Spencer, you programmed me to care and then you left." "You don't need to do this. You didn't need to try to end the world to find me." Spencer made a wiring adjustment and looked up at Ryan. "End the world?" Pete finally looked away from Patrick. "Why would we even dream of doing that now that I know this divine creature is in it?" He took a step forward and smiled widely at Patrick. "I'm Pete; I don't think we've been formally introduced. Would you like to get coffee in Portland right before we get married in the Church of Elvis? I've always wanted to get married in the church of Elvis." "Um?" Patrick looked to Brendon for a cue on how to react. Crazy Pete who wanted to destroy the world was something he could handle. Crazy Pete who suddenly wanted to take Patrick as his husband was something he could not. "You are absolutely stunning, you know. I can't help but notice you're small like I am. How do you feel about the Garbage Pail Kids?" Pete had attached himself to Patrick's side. "Um." Patrick just looked back at Bill, who was practically doubled over laughing. "Is that really all it's going to take to keep Pete from wanting to blow this shit out of the city?" Bill turned to Brendon, who contemplated this for a moment. "Patrick is kind of like that. Patrick is the motherfucking man." Brendon nodded sagely and looked over at where Ryan was following Spencer around as Spencer tried to speak through the communicator to Jon. "Is anybody else going to try to take over Pete's place?" Brendon sat down at a table and kicked out a chair for Bill. "Nah, I doubt it. Siska's been talking about maybe asking Greta to go out with him. He's got his heart set on opening a veterinarian clinic and I honestly think he wants to settle down. Mike's going to have his hands full getting rid of half the shit Pete managed to get a hold of." Bill opened his jacket and sat down as well. "It was getting kind of sad, too. I mean, the world ends, there's no more Armani." He gestured at the suit he was wearing. "Why even bother with this, then?" Brendon furrowed his brows and leaned forward. "It's better than sitting home at night. Besides, how many times do you get to say you saw the world almost end?" Bill shook hair from his face and Brendon realized he was right. Brendon nodded and looked over at Patrick trying to keep Pete from invading his personal bubble. "I guess it's time to go tell our respective teams that the shit has hit the fan and for some reason, it rained down brownies." "Hey, yeah. I guess it is. But uh, now that most of this shit is sorted out, don't be a stranger. We missed you at the compound, you know." Bill allowed his generally aloof features to soften for a moment. Brendon broke into a grin and launched himself across the table to wrap Bill in a tight, brief hug. "I promise I'll visit. I still have to get the menagerie, you know." After dusting himself off, Brendon walked over to Spencer and Ryan, one trying to speak into the communicator, the other trying to make sure there was no more than two inches of space between them. "Hey, I'm going to go back, I." "You want to see Gabe. It's fine. Go." For the first time in Brendon's memory, Spencer smiled as wide as he possibly could. Brendon felt a little lightheaded from the sheer brightness of it. Things were shaping up to be just fine. Brendon walked through the appropriate tunnels and took the elevator up to the floor they'd been observing from. Gabe was waiting for him at the door and scooped him up into his arms, holding onto him as tightly as he could. "Hey, hey, what's going on?" Brendon tried to twist and look at his captors. "Fuck, fuck, okay, the signal has been jammed since you guys got in there. What the hell is going on?" Jon approached Brendon. He tilted Brendon's face toward the light as if looking for physical evidence of trauma. "Guys, it's fine." Brendon wriggled, trying to get down from Gabe. "It's going to be totally fine." He launched into an explanation of what had happened, leaving out the parts about Pete's proposal and newfound infatuation with Patrick. Leave that for them to discover when Patrick came back with Pete attached to him. "So. No shit is actually going down?" Gabe looked equal parts delighted and disappointed. "None." Brendon grinned and again tried to slip down from Gabe's arms. He just held on tighter. "Hey, you have to let me down so we can go tell everyone else." "No, not yet. You remember how you said you really just wanted to see the whole world?" Gabe sounded uncharacteristically quiet as he spoke in Brendon's ear. "Yeah, it's why I left. And now I get to! It's not going to be blown up." Brendon looked ecstatic at the turn of events. "Okay, so I'm not like, I can't promise that it'll be fast or anything. But now that this is over, do you maybe want to go see the world with me? We can take our time and see everything." Gabe looked at the ground and Brendon could feel him shaking a little. "Oh, Gabe. You're no kangaroo, but you're a pretty awesome second choice." Brendon wrapped his arms around Gabe's neck and pressed a kiss to his lips. "We're going to get to see everything and it'll be there. I really have you guys to thank for that." Brendon gave Gabe another enthusiastic kiss and pulled back with a grin. Yeah, things were going to be perfectly fine.

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